Rise of the Grey Lord, Part One: Nobility
by Diviniti
Summary: Harry escapes from Privet Drive and is taken in by the Malfoys, where he learns what it means to be a respectable wizard. Dumbledore, the Ministry, and Voldemort are in for a surprise. Independent, Grey, Powerful Harry. Loyal Draco. Slytherin Harry.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Identity

Harry sat in his dusty cupboard, a book from the school library in his arms. He bundled up his moldy sheet and angled his body so that the welts and bruises on his back pushed against the sheet instead of the hard wall. His arm had red marks where his uncle had grabbed him and held him in place while Dudley clobbered his pudgy fists into Harry's spindly frame. That had been the day after Vernon disciplined him with his belt.

Harry forced himself into the world of Oliver Twist, a boy who Harry could connect to on many levels. He didn't understand many of the words, but Harry read on, reminding himself that if his relatives caught him reading books he had stolen from the library, he would be chopped up and fried next to Dudley's bacon. Harry cried for Dicken's creation, especially when the boy was starved and beaten, forced to work like a slave. But the part that made Harry cry the most was the happy ending, when Rose Maylie turns out to be the long-lost sister of Oliver's mother Agnes and Oliver lives happily with Mr. Brownlow. He cried because he knew that was a future he would never have. He cried because there was no savior out there to save him, no answer to his desperate prayer, and no possibility making his dreams a reality.

Maybe there was someone out there who could help him? Maybe he had some semblance of family outside of these grey walls? Harry sighed; he had no one. He threw his book across the room angrily; happy endings and Harry Potter did not fit in the same sentence.

As he thought about it, doing his best to keep his mind of the throbbing pain in various parts of his underfed body, an interesting through scurried across him mind. Oliver ran away when he was nine and suffering under Mrs. Sowerberry. What if he did the same? Surely anything would be better than this miserable life in a closet? What if he did have family out there that were waiting for him to find them? Staying here in Privet Drive wasn't an option; one of these days, the abuse would get too bad and Harry wouldn't be able to survive. He began to formulate a plan in his mind.

The Dursley's went vacation every spring during Vernon's week-long break from work. All Harry had to do was appropriate Dudley's bicycle, take as much food as he could with him, and go to London. The Dursley's would probably lock him in the closet with a tin of vegetable soup, but that wasn't a problem. For some reason, Harry was able to pick locks just by fiddling with them with his fingers. He wasn't sure how, and he made sure not to do it when his uncle was there, but the fact of the matter was that he was just able to make it happen when he really needed it too. He was sure that he would be able to do it this time and hopefully never have to do it again. Maybe he could find a group of orphans like himself who would take him in. Even if he went to jail, it wouldn't be as bad as living with the Dursleys.

The fact that he was only five didn't matter; he just couldn't wait any longer. Plus, he could ride a bicycle, read, and write, all of which feats that his fat lump of a cousin couldn't even begin to do.

One week later, Harry was seated on Dudley's bicycle, the front basket filled with as much canned food as it could hold. He also had a few pounds which he filched from his aunt's purse. After a few hours of pedaling, he was exhausted, but he knew he had to reach the city. He kept pedaling until the sun set and he could pedal no more. He dragged his bike off of the road and hid under a bush. He would get some sleep and continue in the morning.

SSS why are you lying on top of my hole, foolish boy. It is not wise to parade in a snake's territory, especially a magical one! SSS

SSS Ahh! I'm sorry, please don't bite me. Wait, why can I hear you? SSS Harry said after jumping nearly five feet in the air.

A fairly large brown snake with red and black spots and stripes looked at him sharply. SSS You speak? I beg your forgiveness, Speaker of the Forked Tongue! I assumed you were a mere muggle. SSS

SSS A muggle? SSS

SSS Someone who cannot do magic. You are a wizard if you can speak to me, didn't you know? What is your name? SSS

SSS Harry Potter. But there's no such thing as wizards or magic. SSS

SSS HARRY POTTER! You're the slayer of the Liar! You are a legend among snakes, for you vanquished the wizard that was making everyone think snakes were evil hellspawns! I am honored to be in your presence. SSS

SSS But.., but I didn't vanquish any wizard! THERE"S NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC! SSS

SSS There is, young one, and I can sense that you are among the most powerful wizard out there. I am a magical breed of the European Asp Viper, you can call me Vasuki. I have two different types of poison, paralyzing and deadly. I can change the color of my scales, see? SSS True to his word, Vasuki turned faded into the darkness by turning his scales black. SSS But most importantly, I can sense auras. You have a raging aura of many colors. It would be an honor to be your familiar, if you would have me, that is. SSS

SSS That's really cool, Vasuki. What exactly is a familiar? SSS Harry asked.

SSS I would bind my power to yours. It is an ability only the most magical of serpents have. Right now you are still a child and I am considered a young adult in snake years. As you grow older, I will become larger, since you will become powerful. After the bonding you will also become slightly more powerful. I do not have much magic to give to you, but I can help you survive. I would swear to guard you with more loyalty than a mother snake guards her eggs. Many people think that snakes are evil, but in truth we are the guardians of nature; a force of the natural order of things. It is true that some serpents sided with the Liar, but the majority of us detest him. You already have cunning and knowledge, but I can give you more. Also, we would be able to speak telepathically if we were to bond. SSS

Harry looked at the snake, his face betraying his intrigue and excitement. Vasuki's proposal did sound very interesting… Harry wasn't sure if he was a wizard, but he could deny that he always felt… different to those near him. If he truly had this magic that Vasuki spoke of, then he would need to learn more about it. Vasuki said he could give him knowledge… SSS How do I bond with you? SSS

SSS Stay still. This will hurt, but it is necessary. I am going to bite you, but we will transfer our blood and power, not venom. SSS

SSS Umm… I'm not really sure… OWWW! MY ARM! SSS Harry screamed in parseltongue as the snake struck like lightning and stuck its huge fangs into his upper right arm.

SSS I'm sorry, master. It was necessary. Look, I have grown a foot already. Do you feel anything? SSS

SSS I feel tingly. And the mark isn't bleeding. SSS

SSS Yes, the pain will go away very soon. I don't suppose you have a wand? SSS

SSS No. I don't know anything about magic. I think I have done it a few times accidentally, but I'm not sure. Call me Harry, not master, if you wouldn't mind. SSS

SSS Yes, Harry. Come, we must take you to the Wizarding World. You do not belong here with Muggles. I only come here to dine on plump mice. I live in Knockturn Alley, in a pet shop. My keeper doesn't know that there is a hole in the back of the wall that I escape through. I only return because I have been searching for a wizard to bond with. Do you have a home? SSS

SSS No.SSS Harry replied sadly, looking downtrodden.

SSS We will find you one. From what I have gathered, you are famous among wizards as well as snakes. I am sure there are many rich, respectable wizards to take you in. Now sleep young Harry. Go to sleep…SSS Vasuki hissed softly, like a lullaby. He slowly coiled around Harry and stayed there until the morning.

Harry was back on his bicycle, his snake in the basket in front, hissing directions to this Knockturn Alley. In between directions, the snake started to impart his knowledge of the Wizarding World to Harry. Harry arrived in the shady alley and kept his eyes in front of him, not wanting to attract attention from the strange looking people that inhabited the series of shops and buildings.

SSS There is my pet shop, but we will not be going there. We will leave this alley and go to the Leaky Cauldron, a place I have visited a few times. You see, they had a rat problem… Anyway, the Leaky Cauldron is an Inn. You may not have coin, but being Harry Potter, and having a deadly snake by your side, should ensure that you get a meal and a bed. SSS

SSS How do you know so much? SSS Harry inquired

SSS Being a snake isn't easy, young one. We have to talk with each other and know where to go, where not to go, when we can be out in the open, when we must be in the shadows... We pick up many things, especially us magical snakes. For example, that man over there has a fairly large dark aura. From his gait, we can tell he is confident, yet he wished to remain unseen. He is most likely cutting a secret deal with some storeowner here. He is used to having money and he considers himself above many who inhabit this alley. SSS Vasuki nodded towards a tall man with elegant black robes and a cane with a silver cobra on the head. His hair was platinum blonde and a sneer was fixed on his face.

SSS Should we avoid him? SSS

SSS He is staring at us. I suppose you do look strange, a five year old in a bicycle with a snake in the basket. I sense malice in the man, yet not towards you. Let us speak mentally so he doesn't realize that you are a speaker. SSS

"Boy, that is a highly dangerous snake you have there! Do you wish to be bitten?" the tall man asked.

"No sir, he is my friend."

"Interesting." The man showed Harry his cane. "You see, I am fond of snakes myself. Although I cannot speak to them like you seem to be able to do. I must say I am quite envious."

Harry didn't know whether to be scared or reassured. Vasuki was telling him to keep talking, but Harry couldn't deny that the man looked scary.

"Are you a wizard? Of what family?"

"Y-yes. Harry Potter, Sir…"

"Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy." His gray eyes remained calm, but he was very intrigued. "The Potters… a noble line, older than Malfoys, I must admit. But tell me, why is it that a child of light family is here in Knockturn Alley speaking to snakes?"

"I have no family, Mr. Malfoy. I was searching for an orphanage…"

"The Boy Who Lived without a home? Merlin, come with me child. We must speak. I have a child your age. No boy of decent wizarding stock should be placed with filthy muggles!"

"Yeah… my relatives were Muggles and I ran away. You see they used to hurt me all the time…"

Lucius smiled inwardly, a plot forming in his mind. Draco was about to have a brother. "I am terribly sorry, Harry. I knew of your parents… I can tell you that they would be heartbroken and angry to know that you were placed against their will in a filthy Muggle home. They were quite good wizards," he said as kindly as he could.

"Really? Can you tell me about wizards?" Harry asked, his eyes wide open.

"Yes, I can teach you all about your place in the Wizarding World, Harry Potter. Come with me…"

Lucius apparated Harry to Malfoy Manor, asking his son to give Harry a tour of the grounds and make him feel at home.

As soon as the boys wandered off, Lucius beckoned Narcissa over. "Narcissa, you will not believe what happened!"

"What, did the sale not go well?"

"No, that boy…" Lucius pointed to the retreating figures. "Is Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived! He is an orphan, but if we play our cards right, we could adopt him!"

"Why would we want to reel in the Golden Boy?" Narcissa asked, raising her eyebrow. Since when was Lucius prone to acts of random kindness? "Have you forgotten that he is a Potter?"

"Cissa, I believe he is more than that. He speaks to snakes, for Merlin's sakes. He defeated a Dark Lord, freeing me from service! If we allow Dumbledore to raise him, he would become our enemy, but think, my wife, what if we raise him and teach him what it means to be a Pureblood! He will be powerful; what Parseltongue hasn't been? There was always rumors that Potters were the descendants of Gryffindor, but only descendants of Slytherin can speak to snakes, it is a known fact!"

Narcissa thought it over and a grin formed on her face. "Yes… he would be a good influence of Draco too. Evans, despite being a mudblood, was a prodigy at charms. I know you have been worried about Draco's lack of accidental magic. Perhaps Draco can learn from the boy."

"I'm glad you agree. We will show the boy the meaning of family, then we will go before the Wizengamot and gain custody. The Wizarding World won't know what hit them!" Lucius jabbered excitedly.

"Yes… I have always wanted another child. And Evans was… my friend at one point in time. Lucius, if you are sure about this, then I support you. What I don't want is for Dumbledore to raid our manor or something like that… You know that he will do everything in his power to take Harry away, right?"

"That won't be a problem. You just concentrate on mothering," Lucius said.

Meanwhile, Draco was telling Harry all about Voldemort and his fall.

"You mean, NO ONE else has ever lived? I mean, why am I so special?"

"Nobody knows, Harry. Nobody knows what even happened to you after…"

Harry's face darkened. "I was given to filthy Muggles."

"I'm terribly sorry. I hope you get to stay with us; it gets so lonely here. I mean, this place is so huge, but I have no one to play with. When we get older, we can learn magic together and play Quidditch," Draco said, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, I would love that. Your dad seems really cool. He liked Vasuki." Harry showed Draco his snake, figuring that if Draco's father liked the snake, Draco would too.

"AHHH!"

"No, no, it won't bite. It's my pet," Harry said reassuringly.

SSS Master, do not reveal the fact that you have a bond with me to anyone else. I am afraid your world frowns upon my kind. SSS

Harry apologized mentally while telling Draco an abridged version of Vasuki's past.

"I guess that is pretty cool. Don't worry, I won't tell anybody. Say, I bet you're going to be a Slytherin."

Harry's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"You know, as in Hogwarts?"

"Draco, I told you, I was raised by Muggles…" Harry reminded, a bit snappishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's just that everyone is telling me who or what I am, but I don't know for myself."

Lucius entered the room and began to speak in a magestic, yet kind voice. "Ahh yes, I believe I can help there. You, Harry Potter, are the son of James Potter, a powerful wizard, and Lily Potter, a Mu…ggleborn student, who was liked by many for her brightness and kindness. The story that Draco told you about the Dark Lord is correct. You are a very powerful wizard, as I said earlier. I believe you may have the blood of a few famous, noble lines running through your blood."

"Th-thank you, I suppose," Harry stammered. "Are you sure…"

"Let me finish my explanation, Harry. Now, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the Britain's school for people like us. Unfortunately, Hogwarts's prestige and reputation has declined under the rule of its current headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He… he brainwashed your parents into following his every footstep, and that eventually led to their downfall."

"Is Dumbledore evil, then?" Harry inquired.

"No… not at all. He is considered the champion of the light. However, his views are a bit… jaded. See, many wizards think that Muggles should not play a role in our society. I am sure that you agree, since you have suffered under the backwards ways of Muggles for five years. Albus Dumbledore, on the other hand, views Muggles as equals. The Dark Lord believes that all Muggles must be exterminated for Wizarding society to continue. They are both extremes, my boy. The only difference is that Dumbledore is seen as benevolent, whereas Voldemort is seen as evil incarnate. The fact of the matter is, Dumbledore manipulates good people like your parents and brainwashes Hogwarts students to think like he does. I believe he is the one responsible for placing you with the Muggles and dodging our rules about custody and wills. I am sure your parents would have wanted you to be placed in a proper Wizarding home," Lucius said gently, but forcefully, realizing that the last line would have a huge impact on the five-year-old's mind.

"You mean… it's his fault? I'm the son of two good magic users but this Dumbledore fellow placed me with those horrible people?" Harry asked, tears trickling down his face.

"I am afraid so, Harry. If only I, or another noble family, had been strong enough to stop Dumbledore's little games, you could have been saved from the Muggles. Alas, there are many fools in the Wizarding World, who are fooled by Dumbledore's grandfatherly appearance."

"And my parents…" Harry trailed off, not completely sure that he wanted to know the answer.

"Were indoctrinated by Dumbledore." Seeing that Harry didn't know the term, Lucius explained, "They were raised to believe there was only good and evil, and Dumbledore was good and You-Know-Who was evil. Dumbledore gave grand speeches of sacrifice and morals, of duty and the greater good. He made many people feel obligated to follow him on his crusade."

Draco decided to enter the conversation now. "Father thinks that Dumbledore is the worst thing that has ever happened to Hogwarts."

"Very true, Draco," Lucius said. "However, I am sure that you and my son will be able to accomplish great things in Hogwarts, as long as you act in such a manner befitting your lineage."

"But I don't know anything about my lineage…" Harry said worriedly.

"Who better to teach you that the Malfoys?" Lucius said smiling confidently. "Now, why don't you continue your tour of our grand manor…"

Harry was having the best day of his life. Malfoy Manor was so cool! His mind was quickly taken off of Dumbledore and this Dark Lord by the huge green fields that surrounded the large white mansion. The mansion's floors were made of white marble, some of which were covered by elegant rugs. Every room seemed to have some sort of statue, which Harry guessed were made from allibaster. From the outside, there were many flying buttresses and pillars. In the front lawn, there was a huge fountain. A granite figure, nearly twenty feet tall, was surrounded by snakes that had water gushing from their mouths.

"Come see the back, it's even cooler!" Draco said excitedly.

"Wow! There's lots of snake statues in your house," Harry jabbered excitedly. "Vasuki approves."

Draco chuckled. "We have always been Slytherins at Hogwarts. I bet you will too. Now, come on, I want to show you the Quidditch Pitch!"

"What's Quidditch? You mentioned it earlier, but I was so busy asking other questions…"

"Only the greatest sport ever! Mum won't me go on a broom yet, but dad says that if I make him proud, he will buy me the best broom out there!" They arrived at the large pitch and Draco pointed to the rings. "See those are the goals which the Chasers try o score through…"

Nearly thirty minutes later, Draco had finished explaining, but Harry was starting to worry. Everything seemed to good to be true. What if Draco's father were to send him back to the Dursleys? What if Dumbledore were to, as Mr. Malfoy had put it, interfere in another Wizard's affairs?

"Harry, are you listening?" Draco asked, waving his hand in front of Harry's face.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I was just thinking…"

"About what father said earlier?" Draco inquired.

"Yeah… he seems to like me, but… well, no one ever likes me and what if tomorrow I have to go back to the Muggles? I mean, I couldn't possibly stay here…"

"I'm not sure, but I think father wants to adopt you. I mean, I've always wanted a brother and I think Mum will like you…"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, to be honest, I'm kinda jealous. You're obviously very famous and most likely powerful. Your family line must be almost as rich as mine."

"Please, don't be jealous, I don't want to be famous or anything…"

"I'm not, don't worry. I'm just saying, there's a lot to like about you. Plus, it will be cool to have someone to play with, don't you think?" Draco said.

"Yeah, it will. But I don't want to burden your parents…"

"Harry, we have sixteen extra large unused bedrooms. You won't be a burden. Oh look, there's Dobby. He's a silly little elf, but he is a good cook."

"An elf?" Harry asked incredulously.

"A house-elf. They serve wizards. C'mon, I'm starving, how about you?"

"Yeah me too…" Harry said, his stomach giving a growl.

"Hello, Harry, I'm Narcissa Malfoy. You have really impressed my husband! I must say, that isn't an easy task," said a woman with blonde hair and silver eyes. She was quite pretty, all though time has begun to add some faint wrinkles to her beauty.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. I'm honored to be here with your family," Harry said politely.

"You are very polite," she stated. "And we are honored to have one with your fame in our home." She turned towards the scrawny elf and said, "Dobby, serve fill Harry's plate, he looks rather underfed."

"You have your mother's eyes." Narcissa stated with a smile.

"You knew her?"

"Yes, although we were not close. I was two years ahead of her, while Lucius was five years ahead of her. Still, I was saddened to hear of her passing."

Harry sighed sadly, but the aroma of the roast beef, gravy, potatoes, glazed vegetables, and buttered roll were assaulting his senses and reminding himself of the fact that he hadn't eaten a proper, full meal since… well, he had never had a full, well-rounded meal.

He began to eat with his best manners, using his fork and knife to cut the beef into bite sized pieces and putting no more into his mouth than he could chew in six chews. He knew from experience that doing anything wrong would earn him punishment.

"Draco, you must learn proper manners. Look at Harry," Lucius said smiling.

Albus Dumbledore entered Number Four Privet Drive and then did something he hadn't don't for years. He uttered an obscenity.

He was somewhat skilled in reading trails and tracks, so he was able to surmise that Harry had escaped from Privet Drive riding a Muggle contraption. The cupboard troubled him; he could sense very weak traces of magical residue around the doorknob. From the blanket and book on the floor, it would seem that Harry had been living in that cupboard. However, he had no time to ponder Harry's upbringing; his monitor of the blood wards had stated that the wards were down. The Dursleys and Harry could leave Privet Drive and leave the house empty without the wards collapsing, so that meant that Harry currently did not consider Privet Drive 'home'. Harry had to be found immediately.

Dumbledore cast a spell that would highlight the rubbery residue left behind by a bicycle. It was much less than that of a car, which allowed Albus to differentiate between Harry's bicycle and road cars. He followed the bicycle trail until he saw the bushes that had been ruffled and bent by Harry. The boy must have been here recently. He was most likely heading to Muggle London, Dumbledore guessed. Dumbledore asked Fawkes to run ahead and see where the trail ended while he took a rest and thought things over. Ten minutes later, Fawkes returned and took him to Knockturn Alley by flame travel.

Dumbledore's eyes flew wide open. "No… he can't have…" This was not good; not good at all. How on earth was Harry Potter able to get into the magical world? Dumbledore saw the bicycle on the side of the alleyway, and his worst fears were realized. Someone had found Harry Potter and possibly kidnapped him.

Dumbledore looked around and used a massive burst of Legilimency, a talent that only a few had, to pick up the stray thoughts of the people around him. He sifted through the many thoughts, frowning when he realized that many people around him, if given a bottle of Veritaserum, would find themselves in jail. He did get a few glimpses of a scrawny boy talking to a tall blonde man. Albus Dumbledore uttered another obscenity.

"Fawkes, please take me to the Ministry immediately!"

The next day, Lucius Malfoy had abruptly left his home and arrived at the Wizengamot. Dumbledore had somehow found out that Potter was in his home, and was now attempting to gain custody of the child. Lucius smirked; he was sure that he had a much stronger claim. Fudge, along with half of the Wizengamot, were dependent on his donations. He, the Head of the Malfoy family, could legitimately say that he was not trying to get custody of the boy for him vault. Also, having a child Harry's age would help him. However, the real weapon would be the fact that Dumbledore had placed Harry with despicable Muggles, without the legal right to do so. Lucius realized that if he played his cards right, this could damage the coot's "Muggle-Lover" Acts.

Lucius, being the influential man that he was, was able to get a peek at James and Lily's will. This was just too good! James had stated that Sirius _Black_ was to be Harry's guardian and under no circumstances should Harry be placed with Lily's Muggle sister! Narcissa _Black_ Malfoy would strengthen his claim!

**Four Years Later**

Harry and Draco, for their nine-year-old birthdays, were going to go with their father to Knockturn Alley to acquire wands! Draco's father had said that it was tradition for Malfoy's to get an early start on their studies, so that they arrived at Hogwarts, powerful enough to be independent of Dumbledore's goon squad. Narcissa had said she would teach them how about Potions and Charms, while Lucius would teach them how to duel magically.

Harry Potter was a happy, healthy child. He had messy black hair, glowing green eyes, and a scar rippling down his forehead. He had ridden his first broom the previous Christmas and discovered that he was a natural. He was very fast and had great reflexes. His surrogate mother had said that he was as elegant on a broom as he was on his feet.

Lucius and Narcissa had taken him in and raised him like a Pureblood, despite the fact that he had a Muggleborn mother. They never hesitated to scold, but they had never hit him. Harry didn't think he could ever repay them for their hospitality. They took care of him well, making sure he had the finest of clothes and even making sure Vasuki had a enclosed hunting ground filled with his two favorite dishes; speckled emerald frogs and white mice. Vasuki had grown to be nearly nine feet long, with huge fangs. However, Harry's serpent had the ability to magically change its size in addition to its color, so sometimes Harry would let it twist around his arm.

Draco quickly became Harry's best friend. They were both fast learners, and had similar thoughts concerning Muggles and the Wizarding World. Draco wanted to be a Chaser, while Harry aspired to be a Seeker on the Quidditch Pitch. Draco was an inch or two taller than Harry, but Harry was faster on his feet. When they were not playing games, they respectfully listened to their parents and learned about politics, pureblood customs, and other things that they would need to now.

Over the years, Harry had learned that he was indeed a figure worthy of respect. He had done a fair bit more accidental magic over the years that Draco, and he was praised for his accomplishments. Over the years he had become confident in his abilities and confident that he was worthy of living with a noble family such as the Malfoy's.

Narcissa Malfoy was around the house a lot more often than her husband. She found that she actually enjoyed mothering Harry and Draco, not that she was going soft or anything. She still punished them when the misbehaved, but it was hard to punish Harry, when he seemed to be thankful that he wasn't get beaten instead of sad that he was being punished. Harry had rubbed off very well on Draco, she had to admit. When they were five, Harry had taught her son to read. It was good for the two of them to have companionship at a young age. She couldn't help but to go down memory lane and think about a young Bellatrix and Andromeda Black. Now Andromeda had left the family and Bellatrix had turned into an insane killer. It was such a shame; they used to have such a good time as little girls.

Harry was a few months younger than Draco, but they had waited for Harry's nine-year-old birthday to start their training. Both of the boys came from powerful stock; they would both be powerful wizards eventually.

"Alright, Cissa, I am home. Are the boys ready?" Lucius called out.

"BOYS! I told you to be here five minutes ago!"

"Sorry Mum, Draco decided to jump into the fountain…"

"That's a lie! You--"

Lucius rolled his eyes and cast a Drying Charm on Draco. "Okay, now listen up you two. We are going to head to a… shady place in Knockturn Alley, that produces wands that are not monitored by the Ministry. You are not to speak to anyone. Harry, you are not to look at anyone; it would be disastrous if you were seen. I would conduct this business with you two at home, but you must be present for a wand to choose you." Lucius looked towards his wife. "What would be the best way to cover his scar? A Glamour Charm?"

"Well, if his hair was a bit longer, that wouldn't even be necessary. The problem with Glamour Charms is that many people can see through them, like Moody and Dumbledore. We could give Harry a potion to make his hair a bit longer — Oh my!"

Harry's hair was now getting into his eyes. "I can change the length of my hair, by the way. Is this okay?"

"You can? Can you change anything else?"

"Uh… is it not normal to be able to change the length of your hair?"

"Answer the question, boy…" Lucius said.

"Well, I've never tried, to be honest."

_Master, you are most likely a Metamorphagus _ Vasuki explained.

"Honey, try to change your eyes to a greenish blue. Picture it in your head and just will it to happen," Narcissa commanded.

"Okay…" Harry followed the directions and guessed from Narcissa's squeal that he had succeeded.

"You're a natural Metamorphagus, Harry! That's really impressive. You see, I'm a Metamorphagus too! The gene runs in my family; my grandmother has it and so does my niece."

Harry voiced the question that she had been considering in her mind. "But where did I get it from?"

"I don't know… but Harry! That's amazing! You shouldn't tell anyone about it; keep it a secret for when you need it," she cautioned.

"Yeah, really cool Harry. Too bad I didn't inherit it…" Draco muttered.

"Now Draco, it is not becoming to wallow in self pity. The trait may develop for later," his dad said. "Now we really must be going, I have arranged with Mr. Sendrake to "close" his store so that no one sees us."

They traveled by Floo directly to The Volatile Vender, a store that was known for it's dangerous potion ingredients. However, the basement of the store was connected to the basement of Borgin and Burke's and harbored Terrible Twigs, Mr. Sendrake's undergroud wand shop.

The area was dank and musty, but Harry followed Lucius without complaint. He saw large boxes filled with various types of wands.

"Good day, Mr. Sendrake. You know why I am here, so let us get started. I assure you that I have brought ample payment for the transaction," Lucius said quietly but firmly.

Sendrake nodded and shoved a wand into Draco's hand. After two failed wands, Draco produced green and silver sparks with a one that Mr. Sendrake said was made from Blackthorn and a heartstring from a Scythian Steelwing.

Harry on the hand, had no such luck. Mr. Sendrake, after trying nine wands on Harry, had given up and told the boy the just try wands from himself. Harry was getting embarrassed and was about to suggest that they just forget about it when Vasuki had an idea.

_Harry, often times wizards who have familiars create their own wands from the familiar_

_That's a good idea. So we would use your heartstring?_ Harry joked.

_ Funny. No, I would donate a fragment of my venomous fang. It should make a powerful wand. Do not worry; it will regrow. Consider it repayment for the time I bit you._

_Okay, that sounds like a good idea. Thanks, Vasuki, I owe you one._

"My familiar will provide the core," Harry stated. Vasuki shot from his sleeve and transformed into his full size. Harry asked his snake how exactly he wanted to do this, but Vasuki broke his own fang, which Harry picked up. "I would recommend using gloves, Mr. Sendrake."

"Yes… what wood would you like… this is highly unusual…"

Harry asked Vasuki for ideas, and Vasuki suggested wood from a Dogwood.

"Sir, do you have any wood from a Dogwood?" Harry asked.

"No, although I can get my hands on it if you need. If you come back in about a week, I can have it ready. Mind you, this will be expensive…" Sendrake trailed off.

"No matter," Lucius stated, gathering himself and standing tall. "Come, boys."

"My snake says it was very painful to break his fang and regrow it. He says he will bite your head off if you fail in your task," Harry warned.

Lucius smirked. He was proud of his surrogate son's charisma.

Draco and Harry quickly found that getting older meant spending less time playing games. Every afternoon they had to read books about various subjects. After dinner, they would get Potions lessons from Mrs. Malfoy or work on a charm or simple spell. Lucius told them that after he had won the court case four years ago, he had hired a team of goblin architects to construct defenses that would keep anyone from entering or monitoring the activities that transpired in the Manor. With the new wands, the Ministry or Dumbledore would have no idea that underage magic was happening.

During the week where Harry didn't have his wand, they spent extra time reading and making potions. Harry felt bad about this, so he taught Draco how to open locks with his fingers. Draco's wandless unlocking was a bit weaker than Harry's, but it was an interesting ability nonetheless.

Harry was very pleased with his wand when he got it. It felt natural to use it and he found that practicing first-year charms and transfiguration became his favorite parts of the day. Some spells were very hard, but it helps to have two experienced adults with them.

The two boys received a special treat during October when Lucius Malfoy taught them the Flipendo Spell. Harry and Draco ran around the Manor, casting it at each other as if they were Aurors. More times than not, the spell would miss and collide with the walls or statues, which Dobby had charmed to be impervious to minor spells. Narcissa was a bit uneasy about having the two boys running about the marble house, but Lucius reassured her, saying that it would be good practice and that Dobby would keep them safe or suffer the consequences.

Draco didn't like Transfiguration very much, due to the fact that it was mostly theory and boring stuff, but Harry countered that Potions was all boring stuff and Draco liked it.

"Well, I don't really like Potions, I just have to be good at it because my godfather is the Hogwarts Potions Master. Anyway, Transfiguration is just changing stupid things into stupider things, like changing mice into stupid goblets and turning a needle into a feather! Why is that important?" Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Think about it, if I were to transfigure you silver necklace into a needle pointing inwards, you would be dead. Plus, I read ahead and saw that some people who are really good at Transfiguration can become Animagi! Although it says you have to wait until after O.W.L.s…" Harry said.

Draco seemed to think it over and nod. "Well, I for one, cannot wait to learn some serious stuff that dad knows. But he says were too young…"

"Well, if you learn your Transfiguration better, maybe he will change his mind…"

"I could say the same about your Potions skills," Draco commented with a smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes. " Touché."

"Hey, what do you think we will get for Christmas this year?"

"Hmm… your parents have done so much for me, I don't really need one. But some books would be cool. Not boring ones like these, but you know, some books about cool stuff," Harry remarked.

"You're a nerd."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I'm just smart!"

"…okay… okay, Mr. bookworm," Draco drawled.

"Hey, I just read to learn how to do stuff! You weren't complaining when I figured out the Eavesdropping Charm, if I remember correctly," Harry said victoriously.

"Eavesdropping Charm? Harry, us purebloods do not eavesdrop," Lucius Malfoy said condescendingly.

"I'm sorry. We didn't hear anything…"

"Us purebloods happen to be in the right place at the right time," he commented with a wink.

Draco grinned. "Father, don't you think that Harry is a nerd?"

"Yes–"

"Ha!" Draco exclaimed.

"However, that is not a bad thing. I daresay that in a duel Harry would win," Lucius said. "It is always good to know more than your opponent, as long as time spent learning would not be better spent elsewhere. Right now, you are to immature magically to practice anything other than first and possibly second year magic, but you are old enough to understand more complicated spells."

Harry gave Draco a smirk.

Draco was not to be defeated so easily. "I suppose you are right father. Come Harry, let's get started on the Babbling Beverage… oh wait, I forgot, you still haven't completed the Hair-Raising Potion."

By their next birthday, they had finished learning all of the spells in their first year curriculum. It sure was nice to be a pureblood, Harry mused. Muggle-borns and less fortunate half-blood would most likely not have a drop of magical training, not to mention a vault full of wizarding gold and a palace. When he arrived at Hogwarts, he would be able to get good grades without doing much work because he had already done the work! Sure it could get a little tedious, but from what Harry had been told about some of the predatory figures out there, the training would be useful. He would not be indoctrinated by anyone! He hated Voldemort for killing his parents, but in all honesty, half of the blame lay on Dumbledore's shoulders. Dumbledore had suckered them on to his side, but when they were in need of his protection, he obviously came up short. Harry wanted to be his own faction eventually, somewhere in between Dumbledore, the Ministry, and Voldemort, and independent of the two.

Lucius said that when he turned eleven, they would go to Gringotts and see Harry's financial status. Harry knew he was supposedly very rich, but Lucius said that there may be some problems accessing his vault. Either way, Harry couldn't wait; perhaps he would learn something about his parents.

For now he had a year to fill with Quidditch, magical training, and reading with his best friend, Draco Malfoy, and his bloodthirsty, sarcastic, but loyal serpent. He also learned many things from the Malfoy patriarch and matriarch, like how to walk properly, swish his robes, debate in a calculating, calm manner, and always act with pride and confidence. He learned a lot about various pureblood families, both of neutral, dark, and light alignment. Lucius Malfoy had quite a few nasty words to say about the Weasleys. Harry was forced to thwack Draco alongside the head when Draco jokingly asked his father to arrange a Marriage Contract between the Weasley's youngest daughter and Harry. Draco turned pale when his father revealed that two families had already approached him and tried to marry a daughter to Draco. Luckily for Draco, his father had denied, but he reminded Draco that during his years of Hogwarts, if he were unable to find a suitable, respectable woman that would produce strong Malfoy heirs, his old man would have to intervene.

Harry gulped along with Draco.

!&$&#&$&$&$&$&#!$$&

**A/N: Coming up next: Harry and Draco go to Diagon Alley and meet a few other kids their age. Then the train ride, an interaction with Ron and Hermione, the sorting, and an interaction with the Snape. **

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**If you just HATE Draco, then please don't stop reading. Harry will eventually be a good influence on him, and you should give him a chance. He will be rude and obnoxious for a while, but I argue that he has the potential to be a better friend than Ron. Ron is arguably just as brainwashed and he is riddled with jealousy throughout the first four books, and still a bit jealous in the fifth and sixth. Draco will not be jealous of Harry's money or power, since they are like brothers. They may have their petty moments, but Draco will be a good friend to a grey Harry as Ron was to a light Harry. **

**If you were wondering why I skipped the court case, it was because I am no lawyer, and it would just sound like something pulled from S'TarKan's NoFP case, except with the Malfoy's winning. In future interactions with Dumbledore, the topic of the trial may come up, and you may learn more. Also, keep in mind that Harry did not need to be present for his fate to be decided. This says something about the Wizarding World's attitude towards children, does it not?**

**Other ships? I've been thinking about doing an eventual Dramione, (Dr/Hr). That will be a nice way to eventually tone down Draco's hatred of Muggles, and I think it would make a hot couple. I'm taking suggestions on ships for both Harry and Draco, but I will not do HPDM slash. **

**That being said, this story won't be "shippy" until Harry and Draco grow up some more, so nothing right now is concrete. My other story, Savior in the Shadows, features H/G, R/Hr, N/Lu, Re/T all happening fairly early in the story and progressing faster, so if you want a more standard story, with Malfoy being a Death Eater, I point you in that direction. **

**Also another thing that I want to point out is that, as you can see, Lucius and Narcissa are not abusing Harry or treating him like a house-elf. There is no evidence that Lucius whipped Draco or beat him, so I will assume that he was strict, but not abusive or sadistic. They spoiled him, sure, but honestly, Harry deserves a bit of spoiling after living with the Dursleys. And in the seventh book, it is revealed that they truly do love their son. They may have been opportunistic and manipulative when they took Harry under their wing, but the way I see it, after five years, they consider him family. Narcissa isn't Bellatrix. I believe it is highly plausible that she has come to genuinely care for Harry. Sure, they are raising him to think a certain way, something that is very dangerous to do to a child, but I prefer a confident Harry to a fresh out of Privet Drive Harry. Being raised to dislike Gryffindors is no worse than being raised to dislike Slytherins. **

**If you were wondering, Vasuki is the Sanskrit name for naga, serpent-guards in Buddhist and Hindu mythology. He is a great King of the nagas and has a gem (Nagamani) on his head. Vasuki is known in Chinese and Japanese mythology as being one of the "eight Great Naga Kings". **

**In the Bhagavad-Gitas, Krishna, a master of disguise himself, noted that Vasuki is skilled in illusions, which is why I gave him the ability to change his size and shape.**

**In Buddhist mythology, Vasuki and the other Naga Kings were amongst the audiences of many of the Buddha's sermons. Their duties as Naga Kings included leading the protection, worship and honoring of the Buddha (amongst the Naga) and also to see that other enlightened beings are protected when in danger.**

**Basically, I chose the name Vasuki because Harry's snake is different than Nagini (derived from Hindi, **_**nágin**_**, female cobra). Vasuki is Harry's guardian and teacher in many ways, not a tool or lesser, and not an evil creature like serpents are thought to be. (Which was why I didn't choose a name derived from the bible). Vasuki is portrayed in mythology, in my opinion, as an accurate representation of what people like Ron don't realize about the Slytherin house. Sure, Vasuki is cunning, deadly, and powerful, but not evil. Slytherins are not a bunch of back-stabbers.**

**Okay, I'm done with my notes. I really would be interested to know what you think about this Harry, even if you don't like it. **

**Thanks**


	2. Chapter 2: Into the Fray

Chapter Two: Into the Fray

Harry headed to Gringotts with Lucius while Draco, despite his grumbling, went with Narcissa to get fitted at Madam Malkin's. Harry and Draco were roughly the same size, so Narcissa planned to buy twice the number of robes.

Harry was excited about going to Gringotts; he was finally going to have his own money to spend! Not that the Malfoy's hadn't provided for him spectacularly or anything; it was just that Harry still felt a bit uncomfortable living off of someone else's vault. Plus, he hoped to find out more about his parents.

"Good day, goblin. I am here to make a withdrawal from the vault of Harry Potter…" Malfoy said.

"Key?" the goblin asked grumpily.

"Yes, right here." Lucius fished a key from his pocket and muttered, "…managed to snag this from Dumbledore during the trial."

Harry smiled appreciatively.

"I am Griphook, follow me," a rather ugly goblin stated. After a short elevator ride, Harry was in front of vault number 712, and he noticed a very large man walking away in the distance.

"I think you misunderstood; we meant the Potter Family Vault," Lucius sneered.

The goblin rolled his eyes. "He can access that when he is fifteen, as his parents said in his will. This trust fund will be available to him until then."

"Mr. Griphook, could I please have a statement of my Family Vault, so I know how much I have?' Harry asked politely.

The goblin hesitated for a minute and then nodded.

"Politeness can be useful, as you have taught me," Harry said smirking after the goblin left.

The goblin returned and handed Harry a parchment.

**Potter Family Vault**

**Total Value: 21, 409, 322 Galleons**

**Amount in coin: 12, 534, 686 Galleons**

**Amount in valuable items and jewelry: 5, 234, 656 Galleons**

**Amount in property: 2, 912, 276 Galleons**

**Amount in stocks and shares: 9,736, 101 Galleons**

**Amount in Potter Trust Account: 999,999 Galleons**

**Currently managed by: Sevthrak the Shrewd **

"Holy shit!" Harry exclaimed. He hadn't been expecting a sum of that magnitude.

"Language," Lucius reprimanded. "I say, that is remarkable. It is a shame that I promised before the Wizengamot not to dip my fingers into your coffers. Congratulations Harry. This further exposes the injustice of Dumbledore's actions; there is no justification for putting a boy of your affluence in a filthy Muggle home."

"Yeah… I'm a bit anxious about meeting this Dumbledore guy. I'm kinda tempted to try out that Cutting Curse you taught us… only joking," Harry said.

"Good, because I have taught you better than to raise suspicion. If you arrive at Hogwarts and appear to be unstable, Dumbledore can say that your actions were the result of your Malfoy upbringing. Until you get more powerful, you will remain inconspicuous and neutral," Lucius warned.

"Yes, I understand. Umm, how many Galleons should I withdraw?"

"Goblin, we need a magical wallet keyed to the Potter Trust Account," Lucius commanded. "There that will allow you to take money from your account when ever you need it."

"Maximum withdrawal at a time?"

"No maximum. Add a fingerprint requirement for withdrawals," Lucius answered for Harry.

"Which type?" Griphook asked wearily, holding up many wallets.

Harry chose one made from soft, black dragon leather. "Thank you very much, Griphook. I appreciate your service," Harry said politely.

Griphook eyed him calculatingly. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. Here you go. Will that be all?"

"Yes," Lucius said, walking Harry to the elevator and exiting the building. As Harry got onto the elevator, he saw the hugest man he had ever seen approach the vault next to his vault.

They traveled to Madam Malkin's to find Draco and Narcissa waiting.

"How did it go?" Draco asked.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Let's just say that the two of us together could buy Hogwarts if we wanted to."

Draco's eyes flew open.

"Ahem, perhaps not that much, but Harry's statement is not far off the mark," Lucius said.

"Here you are, Harry. Black Acromantula Silk robes and hats," Narcissa said, giving Harry a small bag.

"Thanks! Did you shrink them?"

"Yes, it is awfully ungraceful to carry a huge load of books and robes like that girl over there."

Harry eyed a girl with bushy hair and two very large front teeth, covered with metals and strange looking gadgets. She was carrying a huge bag full of books that was obviously straining her back. "A Muggleborn, no doubt. I believe those are braces."

"Narcissa, I must be going. Governor's meeting and such," Lucius said.

"Alright, I'll take Draco to the Magical Menagerie. Harry, it says here that snakes aren't allowed, so I would recommend you keep Vasuki hidden. I would suggest you leave him at home, but you two seem rather attached…"

"That's a good idea, thanks."

As they walked over, Harry noticed that the bushy haired girl seemed to be following them. They entered the shop and Draco began to look at owls. Harry wandered around and came next to the girl, who was looking longingly at a cat, but mumbling about an owl being more practical.

"Hello, I'm Harry Potter," Harry said, drawing himself up and extending a hand.

She whirled around. "Her-Hermione Granger. Oh my, I've read so much about you, Harry. You know, about how you--"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Everything you read was probably wrong, since I am the only one alive who knows what happened and I have given no interviews."

"Well, the book can't be completely wrong, can it?" Hermione blurted our indignantly.

Harry sighed. "Look, you don't know anything about me, so how can you tell me what I am. I believe that during introductions, it is custom for each participant to introduce themselves, not introduce the other person. Let's start over; are you looking for a cat?"

"Yes, that one that is a cross between a kneazle looks so interesting. Mind you, I just learned what a kneazle is today--"

"Muggleborn?" Harry interrupted, frowning slightly.

"Well, yeah…" Hermione said uneasily. "Why are you saying 'Muggleborn' so distastefully?"

"Never mind, it's not something that you would understand…"

"Why?" She shouted indignantly. "I'm just as capable of understanding something as you are! You can't just assume that--"

"I didn't assume anything. I just asked a question."

"And you practically spat the word 'Muggleborn'!" Hermione said angrily. "You have absolutely no right to suddenly be so cold and rude to me just because I'm Muggleborn."

Harry rolled his eyes. All he had done was ask if she was a Muggleborn. She asked him a question and he didn't want to give an answer because the answer was a painful one. What was wrong with that? It wasn't like he had insulted her…

The Malfoys had always said that the problem with Muggles was that they assumed they were better than everyone else. The Dursleys had beaten Harry because they assumed he was not a human like them, he had been told.

Harry remembered vividly the time he had asked Lucius if all Muggles were like his uncle and aunt. He then asked if that was the case, then why did nearly half of the magical population welcome Muggleborns with open arms.

"_Now, Harry, what you have to understand is that the problem with Muggles possesses a subtlety that many less educated wizards do not understand. Some Muggles are evil, like your relatives, but some are benevolent. However, all Muggles share one thing in common; they believe that they are better than us, my boy. Muggles come into our world with their silly contraptions and toys and they think that because of their machines and elektristy that they are smarter than us. They think we are old fashioned and ignorant because they do not understand our way of life. They wish to tell us how to live and how to govern ourselves. They seek to lower the status of the Wizarding World to their level, but they see it as making reforms for the better. The power of the noble wizards, like you and I, is on the wane and we have the arrogance of Muggles to thank for it!" Lucius said heatedly. _

Harry had never fully accepted Lucius's words, but that was because he never had any contact with Muggles to see for himself, not because he didn't trust him. "I have every right to speak to you in whatever manner I wish to. If I think that you're ignorant, then I will speak to you that way."

"You're the one who's ignorant… you think that just because you have magical parents you're better than me! That's not true, I can do any spell that you can do! See, I've got into Hogwarts, just like you," she said heatedly, her face red.

Draco sauntered over, an eagle owl in a cage dangling from his hand, drawling, "That's rich, Granger. You're coming over here and telling _Harry Potter_ that you honestly think you're even comparable to him? C'mon Harry, we don't have time for any pathetic excuses for witches"

A tear was forming in Hermione's eye. "I am not weaker than any other wizard or witch, pure-blood or not!"

Harry snapped his fingers and did one of his favorite tricks. A sizzling wave of fire snapped through the air up to eye level and then return to his fingers, all in a fraction of a second. "Whatever you say, Granger." The cocky smirk never left his face. The fire may have been an illusion that he couldn't hold for more than a second wandlessly, but she didn't have to know that.

"Potter, for god's sakes, you were raised by Muggles! I cannot believe you are so cruel; you are practically Muggleborn yourself, not to mention your mother was like me!" Hermione said angrily.

Harry's froze, and forced himself not to react with emotion. "You know, I didn't insult you because you were a Muggle, believe it or not. That's Draco's department. I insulted you because you assumed you knew more about me than I do, right from the start. You've been living in your little Muggle home for ten years and now you think that because you received a letter you can come into our world and insult us? How dare you call me practically a Muggleborn! I came over here willing to give you a chance, but now I see Draco was right all along," Harry spat venomously.

"We'll be seeing you around, Granger…" Draco sneered. "Remember that it is not your place to make assumptions about real wizards, since you understand nothing of our world."

"I understand that you two are jerks!" Hermione shouted.

Harry noticed that someone looking like Hermione's father was coming over. "Let's go, Draco."

"Draco?" Harry asked. "Do you think I was a bit too mean to her… I mean, I didn't mean to make her cry, it just really struck a nerve when she said I had no right to speak to her in certain ways."

"No Harry, you had it right. I knew what you were doing; I was listening from behind the shelf. You were trying to see if everything my father said about Muggles was actually true, weren't you?" Not waiting for an answer, Draco continued, "And she reacted exactly how father said Muggleborns would. She got all uppity and criticized you. You see… Muggleborns just don't understand that they have no right to question our world. They have been living under a rock for ten years, and now they think that because they got a fancy letter by owl they are the same as us. Now do you see? Do you understand what father was trying to say?"

"I think I do, Draco," Harry replied softly. "I… I just had to give her a chance. But you were right. Honestly, who the hell does she think she is, calling me a Muggleborn!"

The boys spent their remaining weeks before school practicing spells while they had the chance. Lucius had taught them the Stunning Spell and Blasting Hex, which they practiced in the manor's endless backyard.

"Now boys, you will want to be very careful about showing your abilities to others. The Wizarding World needs to know that you are powerful, but never show them your full potential. There will be a time for impressing others, but for now, you want people to underestimate you. Don't get me wrong; I will be very disappointed should you fail to get the top scores in your year, but for now, no one needs to know that you are able to use any minor dueling spells, especially those that are potentially fatal, such as the Cutting Curse. Do you understand?" Lucius said strictly.

"I understand," the boys echoed.

"Especially you, Harry. You will be put under the microscope now that you are emerging from our secure home. Many people will seek to use you, and trust me; some of these people are experts at manipulation. I know you are no Golden Child, but you cannot go against anyone yet, be it Dumbledore, the Ministry, or the Purebloods, light or dark. So the best option is to not attract their attention until you are old enough to deal with them," Lucius said warningly.

Harry nodded; he had been given this lecture before.

"Very well then, let us continue. Remember, the Blasting Hex is one of the spells that are to be used in emergencies only. Accuracy is very important; there are certain areas where the hex can easily incapacitate someone, such as the kneecap or… other areas. Once I again I remind you that this spell can kill if used a certain way, so only use this spell under my supervision, or in an emergency. I have set up dummies, which you will practice on."

Lucius watched them, nodding his approval and trying to give equal amounts of critique and praise. Draco's spellwork was fairly good; he would be a good duelist when he got older, but Harry had the instincts of natural. He was very fast on the draw and his hexes traveled towards the target very fast. While Draco's spells were all of medium power, Harry seemed to be able to cast his spells with various amounts of magical energy based on his emotions. It pained Lucius to know that his son would most likely be Harry's sidekick instead of equal, but if the Boy-Who-Lived rubbish was true, then there was no shame in being second to the slayer of the Dark Lord. Draco had never showed much power in accidental magic as a child, but ever since Harry began to work with him, he began to show signs of being a true Malfoy and Black.

Lucius was no fool, he knew that the old ways were on the wane. Blood counted for less these days, no doubt a result of the great grandfather of Britain, Albus Dumbledore. The great families were losing control of the Wizarding World. Lucius knew he had to train Harry to be their rallying point. Harry would be a leader, spearheading the purebloods and worthy wizards against the tides of filth, cleansing the world of the grime that was snaking its way into the Britain's magical population. Lucius had first turned to the Dark Lord to lead Salazar's crusade, but the Dark Lord had failed miserably. When the time was right, Lucius would gather his crowd. Alliances would be made and a new faction would be created. In the mean time, Lucius would turn Harry into a leader fit to bend the purebloods to his will. The Malfoy's would be his right hand; his second in command. The first stage of Lucius's plan was already complete; raising Harry to detest Dumbledore, the Ministry, and the Dark Lord. This would lead Harry towards the purebloods, who would either join him willingly, or be coerced by the Malfoys. For now, Malfoy would continue to increase his influence and power in the Wizarding World.

"Very good boys, keep practicing. In one hour, you will come to lunch. After that, you will join your mother to learn more of pureblood culture and history," Lucius said, hiding a smile. Six years ago, he had a feeling that taking in Harry would be a nice way to snub Dumbledore by corrupting his golden child. He figured that if Harry proved to be weak, he could just get his hands on the Potter fortune and disown the boy. Lucius was wrong; taking in Harry had the potential for so much more.

And not only did the boy have potential, Lucius would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit fond of the messy-haired brat.

The Malfoys and Harry entered Platform Nine and Three Quarters wearing their trademark swishing cloaks and expensive robes. Harry and Draco each had magical trunks that appeared to be elegant, black briefcases with silver engravings and buckles.

Many people stared and pointed at Harry, but Harry simply held his head high and ignored their awed looks.

"Good-bye… mum and dad," Harry said, smiling at the adults who he considered parents.

"We will be seeing you again at Christmas… son," Lucius said, patting Harry on the shoulder while Narcissa gave him a hug. "Make us proud."

Harry nodded.

"Good-bye Draco, we will miss you. You keep Harry in line, son," Narcissa said, hugging her son.

"Bye mum… this is embarrassing," Draco grumbled.

"Draco, remember what we have taught you. Know that first impressions are always important. That goes for you too, Harry. I trust the two of you will remind the world how a true noble acts. Farewell, boys," Lucius said grandly.

Harry eyed a number of red-headed children preparing to board the train, taking turns getting crushed by a plump woman.

Draco smirked to Harry. "Weasels."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Let's go, they are already staring at my scar; especially that little girl."

"She's blushing, Harry!" Draco remarked with a smirk.

"Watch this," Harry muttered. Harry stood tall and caught her eye, if only for a second. He gave her a wink, but then turned away.

"Good one," Draco said. "Talk about tomatoes…"

Harry rolled his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ginny looking around herself frantically, sure that the Boy-Who-Lived must have been looking at someone else.

"Hello, earth to Ginny!" Ron shouted. "I said good-bye…"

"Bye…" she croaked, her eyes remaining fixed on the train.

Meanwhile Draco and Harry found their own compartment. "Weasleys," Draco spat. "More children than they can afford. Look, second hand robes, scruffy pets… there as bad as Muggleborns. Although that one has a crush on you."

"No she doesn't, she was just looking at my scar…" Harry retorted.

"Then why did she bump into that trunk when you winked at her?"

"Whatever. Hey, now you have to wink at the next girl who sees you," Harry replied with a smirk. "Even if it is that Granger girl."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Who else do you think will be in Slytherin this year?"

"Well, didn't dad say something about Goyle and Crabbe's sons being our age?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, but we need better associates than those two lumps. Those two may be rich purebloods, but they're no smarter than Muggles."

"Well we will find out after the sorting, won't we," Harry replied. "Hopefully there will be a few more respectable wizards like us, right?"

Soon the train started and Harry saw the redhead running after the train. "Draco, if I get any love letters, I'm making you answer them."

"I'll direct them to father, who will arrange your marriage," Draco muttered.

"I'll direct Vasuki to your bed at night," Harry mock-threatened. "He might mistake you for a white, fluffy rabbit."

Draco paled a bit. "Well, then my godfather would have you expelled after he gave me anti-venom draught."

"You mean the Snape-guy?"

"Yeah. He's a bit weird, but dad says that he's a powerful wizard that has his nose in the right areas, whatever that means," Draco said.

The door opened, revealing two identical redheads and one smaller redhead. "Potter, is that you?"

"Weasley," Harry sneered.

"Yes, well, you see…" One twin began.

"We noticed you had the misfortune of being seated with a Malfoy. You see, some wizards are decent folk, but others, like the Malfoys, are evil and rotten to the core. You don't want to go associating with the wrong sort," the other twin began.

"Yeah, we can help there. Would you like to sit with us? I'm sure it would be better than sitting with that stuck-up git," the smaller one remarked.

"Oh, I'm touched," drawled Harry. "Would you care to explain why I should associate myself with dirt-poor, Dumbledore-worshipers?"

"What… how dare you!" the youngest one shouted.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Weasleys and their inflated sense of self-importance…" he drawled.

One twin looked venomously at Draco and moved closer.

"That wouldn't be wise… I might have to show you how exactly I slew Voldemort."

The smallest redhead nearly pissed his pants, but managed to croak, "I... you're a dark wizard!"

"Yup," Draco commented, rolling his eyes. "You've got us figured out. I bet we'll be expelled by tomorrow."

_Master, can I eat their rat, I sense something strange about it_ Vasuki asked.

Harry answered negative and continued to sneer at the redheads. "What's your name, Weasel? Or did your parents get tired of thinking of new names and just assign you a number? Lemme guess… number five? Six?"

That seemed to touch a nerve. Ron was visibly shaking, obviously torn between his fear of Harry and his desire to plow his fist into Harry's face.

"Its Weasley to you, Potter. We were wrong about you, you deserve Malfoy!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Thanks, I consider that a compliment. Are you jealous?"

"NEVER!" the twins shouted. "Potter, we'll be seeing you around. You'll get yours!"

"Wow, I'm scared," Harry said rolling his eyes. "Perhaps you can call up Voldemort and ask him for some advice? I'm sure he would tell you what works and what doesn't."

Draco was rolling over laughing, while Harry absently began to read a book, as if the Weasleys weren't even there.

The Weasley's ears turned red, but they could think of no response.

"Good bye. Oh, and you're welcome," Draco said in between laughs.

"For what?" Ron yelled.

"For entertaining me. Hey, come around once in a while, okay? We could use a good laugh once in a while," Draco said.

"Let's go, Ron, why the hell did you convince us to come over here… damn Malfoys and Potters," a twin muttered while leaving the compartment.

"That was too good, Harry. Did you see the way he reacted when you said His name?" Draco said.

"Uhh… I haven't heard you say Voldemort," Harry pointed out.

"Well, I can hear it and not react," defended Draco. "Okay… I'm going to do it… Vold…demort."

"Bravo," Harry remarked. "I can't believe the nerve of those Gryffindorks, coming in to our area and insulting you. You know, I'm getting sick of people assuming they can tell me who I am or how I should act."

"Speaking of that…"

The door opened. "Hello… err… oh, it's you two. Listen, have you seen a toad? Neville has lost one. I think I saw it come in this direction."

Harry didn't bother to look around his compartment. "No."

"Well if you see it…"

"Then we'll feed it to Harry's—ow!... uh owl," Draco concluded a bit sheepishly, rubbing his stomach where Harry has elbowed him.

"So Granger, read any good books lately?" Harry asked with a fake kindness.

"Well, I read a book about the First War that had a few quotes and accounts by Professor Dumbledore in them. HE said that you were a half-blood and nobody knew how you defeated the You-Know-Who and got your scar. It also said that you had been placed with Muggles! I was right! I don't understand why you try to deny it, it's not like there is anything wrong with being raised by Muggles--"

A nerve snapped inside of Harry. "First of all, you have no idea what Muggles are really like, having grown up in your cheery little cottage. Second of all, Professor Dumb wasn't there during the attack, so he doesn't know what happened. Third, no one asked for your opinion about my upbringing. I tried once again to have a reasonable conversation by asking about a comfortable topic, but no, you had to go on a ill-constructed rant about my childhood, despite the fact that only Draco's family could give a reasonably accurate account of my childhood. That's strike two, Granger. I suggest you leave before you strike out."

Hermione stood in silence for nearly a minute, shock written across her face. "I'm sorry, but you never gave me a chance! You automatically assumed that I was a uppity-Muggleborn!" Hermione angrily stalked off.

Two minutes later, there was another knock on their compartment sliding door.

"The loser caravan is that way," Draco drawled, not bothering to look up.

"Excuse me? I just wanted to have a word," a girl with honey-blonde hair said. "I heard what you said to the Weasleys; it was a bit harsh, but I had a good laugh. I'm Daphne Greengrass by the way."

"Harry Potter," Harry said, shaking her hand.

"Draco Malfoy. Nice to meet you."

"Everyone is talking about you two on the train," she stated.

"So you're here to get some first hand gossip?" Harry said sneering.

"No! I'll have you know that the Greengrass's are a old pureblood line. You have no reason to dislike me without even knowing me," she said heatedly.

"Sorry," Harry said. "We've just had a few unpleasant encounters today. So, what house do you want to be in?"

"Slytherin or Ravenclaw. I hope to be put in Slytherin, but if I get Ravenclaw it wouldn't be too bad, would it?"

"I suppose not," Draco said. "We will be Slytherins though, so I suggest you follow suit if you wish to hang out with us."

"Well, that is my first choice. I think I'd leave if I was in Hufflepuff, wouldn't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, the house for the weak and caring. Even worse than Gryffindors."

"Well, I'm glad we agree. My family has always been in either Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Have you two gotten a chance to study any magic?" She asked eagerly.

Harry glanced at Draco. "A bit."

"Oh, I've done a bit too. Not too much, but I'm hoping to get good grades this year."

Harry nodded.

"Do you have a pet, Daphne?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, I got this kitten, Felo" Daphne answered, holding up a black kitten. "Yesterday it caught its first garden snake. It was a small one though. That's a nice eagle owl, Draco, what's its name?"

"Tiberius," Draco said.

"How about you, Harry. Uh… I can call you Harry right?" Daphne said uneasily.

"No, you have to call me The-Boy-Who-Kicks-Ass," Harry said sarcastically. "Just kidding, you can call me Harry, Daphne. I'll tell you about my pet if you get sorted into Slytherin and I see that you don't have a big mouth."

"Umm… okay," she said. "Hey, can I ask you a question about uhh… your scar?"

"Shoot," Harry said.

"He might have you kill you if it's a bad question," Draco warned.

"Well… do you remember what happened?"

"A little bit. I have dreams about it. Voldemort killed my parents with the Killing Curse and then tried to kill me, that's all I remember," Harry said.

"So what you said to the Weasleys…"

"Was designed to make them wet their pants," Harry said smirking. "I think it worked, don't you?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "Our family really owes you, because the Greengrass family has always tried to stay neutral, but You-Know-Who was threatening us to join him."

"Uhh… you're welcome?" Harry said. "So you're family has never been one of Dumbledore's lot?"

"Never. I mean, we're not against Muggleborns either, but we're not for them. We dislike the Ministry too. Father has a seat on the Wizengamot, but aside from that, we just try distance ourselves from the different sides," Daphne said. "Umm, can I ask about your loyalties? I mean, I don't want to make any assumptions, but you seem to dislike… well, everyone besides purebloods, but your parents were staunch light supporters who were all for… you know, Muggleborns and stuff."

"Well, I side with whoever I think is the most competent and powerful. So far, the only families I am interested in siding with are the Malfoys and possible the Greengrasses. I'm not like my parents; I won't let Dumbledore or Voldemort brainwash me. So far, I plan to be grey. There's a few neutral families out there, but no strong neutral faction," Harry replied. "Oh yeah, thanks for not making any assumptions, you don't know how annoying that gets."

"No problem. My father would like you, I think. You're nothing like I expected. Everyone expects you to hate the Malfoys for 'kidnapping' you and to be Dumbledore's beacon of light," Daphne said.

"Well, then they're in for a shock," replied Harry.

Later that day the three kids were riding preparing to get onto a boat to the castle. Harry was approached by a huge man with a monstrous beard and a pink umbrella.

"Hello, 'Arry, oh it's so nice to see ye after all these years. You look just like yer dad! I remember ye when ye were this big," the man said fondly.

"Umm, do I know you?" Harry replied.

"Oh, righ', I'm Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts," the jovial giant said. His voiced dropped in volume. "I was there when… it happened eleven years ago. I picked you up from Godric's Hollow and dropped you off with the Muggles."

"Well, thanks Hagrid," Harry replied cheerfully, although his eyes hardened when Hagrid mentioned the Dursleys. "I assume you dropped me off on Dumbledore's orders, yeah?"

"Yup. He said it would be fer the best, Harry. You don't know how it tore at me to put you on that doorstep," Hagrid replied fondly. "Well, I live over by that hut. You come 'round an' visit now, if you're not too busy. I know ye'll be loving Hogwarts, best school there is! James and Lily were Head Boy and Girl, ye know."

"Thanks, Hagrid. I'll do that," Harry said, not sure if he would visit the man in the near future. On one hand, he could learn more about his parents, but Hagrid was obviously one of Dumbledore's men. How could you place a baby on a doorstep on Halloween in London? If Dumbledore had said to throw the baby off a cliff would Hagrid have done it? It was a miracle he hadn't caught pneumonia from being out in the cold…

Soon they were inside of the Great Hall, sitting down and preparing for the sorting. Harry noticed that he was getting a death glare from redheads of various sizes. Harry looked towards the head table to find Dumbledore looking at him discreetly, his eyes twinkling.

_Master, break eye contact immediately! He is snooping around in your mind!_ Vasuki hissed.

Harry snapped his head to the side. _Did he get in?_

_A little. He heard your thought about the redheads being angry at you, but nothing else. He also sent you a not-so-subtle picture of you in scarlet and gold robes. Your parents were smiling down on you and ruffling your hair, both wearing prominent scarlet and gold robes._

_WHAT! Who the hell does he think he is, using my parents' death as a tool to force me into his pocket? That's a low blow… Lucius was right when he told me not to underestimate the level of Dumbledore's manipulations… Vasuki, can you keep him out?_

_I can misdirect him, but he truly wished to break in, I cannot stop him, especially if he has eye contact. MASTER! STOP LOOKING AT THE GREASY ONE!_ Vasuki screamed in his mind. Vasuki was writhing against Harry under his robe. _The old one used just a soft brush, but the greasy one was actually probing. He is still trying, although I am able to misdirect him when your eyes are not connected. I am getting tired though, you must break line of sight soon. They are both powerful enough to attack your mind without eye contact._

Harry cursed under his breath. How dare they snoop around in his mind. _What about Draco and Daphne?_

_I know not. Tell them not to look at those two. SHIT! We are being attacked by the turban man! Master they will all break in soon… NOW!_

Harry's scar had just began to tingle painfully. He did the only thing he could; he slid under the table and let out a huge breath of relief while his head was obscured by the table and tablecloth.

"Harry, what the hell?" Draco asked bewildered. "All I asked was what you thought about that fourth year over there… she's not that ugly."

_Good thinking, Harry. I have a very bad headache; I was about to faint; those three are all masters. This is very bad news._ Vasuki stated. _I will not be able to protect you until I get a good night's slumber. We have to work on your own mental defenses as soon as possible, although I do not know where to start. It would probably be a good idea for your friends to learn as well._

_Thanks, Vasuki, I really owe you one. I can't believe they would pull that shit! Isn't there some law against invading other people's minds?_ Harry gave his snake, that was inside of his robes, a pat on the head.

_I know not. All I know is that as your familiar, a mental attack has to go through me first. However, I would guess that the practice is at the very least frowned upon._

_Those bastards! Vasuki, what do we do now?_ Harry asked desperately. The three bastards had undoubtedly noticed that he was under the table and would no doubt pounce on him as soon as he surfaced. Just wonderful; he had already aroused suspicion. Lucius wouldn't be pleased.

Dumbledore was now giving a speech about… oddballs and tweaking. Harry rolled his eyes; was the man completely senile? Dumbledore proceeded to introduce Professor Quirrel, a new addition to the Hogwarts staff, and say something about a painful death.

_The Sorting is beginning. You will resurface when they are on 'P' and run to the cap. I think I can defend you for that short amount of time, although if the three of them all send strong mental probes, then I cannot help you, especially if you make eye contact. I think I will be able to protect you for a maximum for five to ten seconds._

So Harry waited and waited, beginning with Hannah Abbot being sorted into Hufflepuff.

Hermione Granger was sorted into Gryffindor, while Daphne Greengrass was sorted into Slytherin. Harry gave her his congratulations from under the table.

After Parvati Patil had been sorted into Gryffindor, Harry got up and started walking at a very rapid pace towards the Sorting Hat. By the time his name was called, he was only a few footsteps away from the hat, which he quickly put on top of his head.

"Ahh… a fierce independence within you, Mr. Potter, that is always nice."

"Just put me in Slytherin and don't go into my head!" Harry muttered.

"Yes, you do fit in the House of Serpents, Mr. Potter. I do not use Legilimency, Mr. Potter. I was created by the founders to sense your desires, emotions, and abilities. I respect your independence and I share my knowledge with no one. Now, let me do my job!" the hat said. "Hmm… you are brave… smart… caring… yet you aspire to change the world. How interesting. You wish to unite others like yourself around you and form a new faction. Well, Mr. Potter, I think you would do well in any house. You say you want Slytherin, but I think you want Slytherin for the wrong reasons."

"No! Put me in Slytherin!" Harry commanded. "Look, I'm cunning and ambitious, why wouldn't you put me in Slytherin?"

"Notice I did not say Slytherin would be a bad choice; I am just saying that you are choosing Slytherin because you see it as a way to prove that you are not your parents and prove you are not light. You want the approval of purebloods and to snub others. I will place you in Slytherin, but not because you want to be in Slytherin; you do not yet know why Slytherin would be the best for you. True, I can place you there because you are cunning, ambitious, and have the potential to change the world. However, you have the traits of all of the founders inside of you; some are just hidden by layers of jaded truths and lies. See that you find a way to embrace all of you traits rather than abandon them. Do not get caught up in stereotypes and lies that surround the houses of Hogwarts," the hat warned.

"Okay," Harry replied, although he did not understand very much of the hat's speech.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat announced.

"Thank you, Mr. hat," Harry said while standing up, removing the hat, and briskly traveling to a seat adjacent to Draco and Daphne.

After being quiet for nearly five minutes, the hall exploded into noise. The Slytherins were cheering, McGonagall tried futilely to hide her disappointment, and Dumbledore frowned, but his eyes never stopped twinkling. The greasy man was looking at him with pure disbelief. Harry didn't see Quirrel eyeing him calculatingly.

Harry sat next to Draco and Greengrass, reattaching his cocky smirk to his face, but prepared to slide under the table at any moment.

"Well done, Harry! I was scared for a minute there," Draco said.

Daphne eyed him shrewdly. "So what's with hiding under the table?"

Harry dropped his voice to a whisper. "Your godfather, the turban guy, and Dumbledore are trying to break into my mind. I'll explain later, but do not look at them!"

"Yeah, later. Well, you might as well enjoy the food," Draco said, munching on a lamb chop.

"Good thing you're mother isn't here," Harry muttered.

"Oh, whatever," Draco retorted, taking another chomp. "I'm not as bad as Weasley; do you think he has been fed in the past week?"

A tall, broad-shouldered individual in Slytherin robes walked up to Harry. "Marcus Flint, here. I'm the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and Chaser. Glad to have you in my house."

"Glad to be here," Harry said, taking a slight dislike to the pompous tone of the large boy's voice. "Draco and I may have you show up one day and teach your team how to play."

"Hah, as if we need little firsties to help us. We have the best team in the school!" another Slytherin added, who was named Terence Higgs.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Harry said. "In the past ten years, I don't believe Slytherin has more cups that Gryffindor."

"That's because of that damn Weasley seeker! We won last year, for your information."

Draco smirked at Higgs. "Better watch out; I think this will be you last year seeking now that Harry's here."

Flint eyed them calculatingly. "Next year I will expect you two to back up your words. Or we may have to teach you what happens to upstarts who don't respect their elders."

After they left, Daphne looked at Harry carefully. "Do you have to antagonize everyone you come across? You could try being nice at first, and then being mean instead of the other way around like you were with me."

"No, we have to be mean," Draco replied.

"Sorry about earlier, Daphne, but the short answer is that in case you didn't notice, Flint isn't the prince of Slytherin," Harry replied. "I don't like being spoken down to by those who have no right to do so."

"Sorry."

"Don't be; I consider you my friend, so uh… you can sorta speak down to me," Harry said with a grin.

"Thanks… I guess."

"Potter," a dark skinned boy introduced. "I'm Blaise Zabini."

"…The hell you want?" Harry grumbled, receiving an elbow from Daphne. "Sorry, nice to meet you."

"No problem. I've been observing you and I know that I would be annoyed by everyone approaching me because of my fame," Blaise said.

"Aren't you doing the same thing?" Draco asked after the three students had introduced themselves.

"Well, I am intrigued by the Harry Potter legend, I must admit. However, I came over because the truth is that you three seem like a good group of friends to have," Zabini said.

Harry could see that Zabini was a bit shy, most likely from spending his childhood away from other children. That was one of the problems with pureblood society. Everyone lived in their castles, isolated from others their age. The adults knew each other, but their children didn't get a chance until school. All Harry knew about the Zabini family was that they were neutral and borderline dark in general, so Harry decided it couldn't hurt to give the boy a chance. "Alright. We can talk more when we get to the dorms."

_Vasuki, what do you think of him?_

_Hmm… he is fairly powerful, around the same as the blonde girl. I did not sense any deceit in his words. I suggest you give him a chance. He is obviously from a fairly affluent family._ Vasuki replied.

"Draco, I think your godfather hates me. He keeps glaring at me and earlier he was using Legilimency," Harry muttered.

"What's that?"

"Well from what the hat said, I am guessing it has to do with breaking into minds. Now he's just glaring at me like I'm a cockroach or something."

"I don't know. I would think he would be happy to have you in our house. If he doesn't come around, I can at least owl dad and tell him to tell Snape to not read your mind."

"Yeah…" Harry said. "Hey, what do you think about that Hagrid guy?"

Daphne answered first, "He seemed sorta nice. I mean, nothing like the way he looks."

"Well my father says he is practically a servant," Draco said importantly.

"What exactly is Keeper of the Keys?" Blaise said. "I could be wrong, but there is probably more to him than meets the eye. He can't spend year guarding Hogwarts's grounds and mulling around his hut."

"You're probably right," Daphne said. "What I want to know is if he is actually human."

Harry shrugged. "We'll find out soon later. For now, the three of you need to learn how to protect your minds, as do I. Draco, can you get your father to mail us whatever books he has concerning mental defenses, placed in a discreet, normal package?" Harry asked quietly, his voice only heard by his friends due to the roaring clamor of students eating and chatting.

"Yeah, do you need me to do it tonight?"

"Yes," Harry whispered. "When they realize that you are friends with me, they will try to find out my secrets from your minds. Hell, they may have already done it today."

Later that night, Harry and Draco had journeyed to the Slytherin dungeons. The dorms weren't as elegant or comfortable as Harry's room at Malfoy Manor, but a comfortable four-poster bed with soft blankets was a welcoming sight after his long day.

"I'll see you three in the morning, then," Daphne said.

Harry, noticing that Draco had already started on his letter, told Draco to ask his father for a quick history and opinion of the Greengrasses, Zabinis, and Snape.

Harry discreetly let Vasuki under his bed and told his European Asp Viper to use paralyzing venom on anyone who approached his bed who was not Draco or Blaise. Harry let his eyes close, knowing that tomorrow he would no doubt have to deal with more people making assumptions about him or trying to manipulate him. He was still rather angry about Dumbledore's cunning attempt to manipulate him into Gryffindor. Was it not enough to brainwash his parents into following his foolish crusade to the death?

Harry woke up in the morning earlier than Draco and took the bit of time to chat with Vasuki about his opinions of Hogwarts.

"Draco, hurry up, let's go to breakfast," Harry mumbled. "Hmm… Astronomy with the Ravenclaws and Herbology with… oh joy, Gryffindors. Uh, Draco, you realize we never studied Herbology at home, right? I mean, your mum says that we can just ace Astronomy by a last minute cram session, but Herbology doesn't sound that easy."

"Why the blazes would we want to grub around in the dirt? Dobby knows how to garden, I shouldn't have to learn," Draco grumbled indignantly.

"Well, we'll see. I just don't want to get beaten by any Muggleborns this year," Harry said.

"What about tomorrow?"

"Transfiguration and Potions."

_(A/N: In Canon, it is not clear who has Transfiguration with the Gryffindors. Some people assume that it is a class where there is only one house per class, due to the dangerous nature of Transfiguration, for which a smaller teacher to student ratio would be desired. In PS film, Slytherins are shown to have it with the Gryffindors, however in canon, I believe it is said that the Gryffindors only shared Potions with Slytherin. Forgive me if Harry's class schedule isn't compatible with the books, it takes a fair bit of deductive logic to figure out Harry's schedule in first-year canon, let alone a Slytherin's schedule.)_

"Well that shouldn't be so bad, at any rate. Snape is bound to favor us because we're Slytherins, not to mention I'm his godson," Draco commented.

After eating breakfast, which Harry did without looking at the head table, Harry walked past the Gryffindor first years, who he gave a practiced sneer, and headed to the greenhouses located behind the castle. Much to Draco's relief, Professor Sprout told them that they wouldn't do much practical Herbology until the next term.

Harry was mildly annoyed by Granger, who felt the need to answer every single question with responses stolen from their textbooks. Unfortunately, Harry couldn't do anything because he had neglected to study plants at Malfoy Manor.

It really beat him why Hermione had to be such a know-it-all. It was perfectly understandable for her to want to show the Slytherins up, but she was distancing herself from the Gryffindors in the process.

Harry noticed that Ron seemed to associate more with Seamus, a half-blood, and Dean, a Muggleborn, than Hermione. Harry couldn't say that he blamed the redhead, despite the fact that Ron was telling the boys about how evil Potter and Malfoy were. As if anyone of importance would care what a blood-traitor, half-blood, and Muggleborn thought!

Harry zoned out during Astronomy, but was careful to give the impression that he was paying attention. Daphne said that she knew a fair bit about Herbology and Astronomy, so Harry arranged to study those subjects with her while he taught her Transfiguration and DADA. She said that the Greengrass Manor didn't have the wards that Hogwarts and Malfoy Manor had that prevented the Ministry from detecting magic, so she hadn't done much practical spellwork.

Malfoy claimed to be the best at Potions; a subject that Blaise was new to, so they worked out a similar arrangement. Minimizing the time spent doing homework would give them extra time to practice important things, like protecting their minds.

The next day they were traveling to their first Transfiguration class. The four Slytherins passed by Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones, causing a discussion amongst the four over whether or not they should be equally mean to Hufflepuffs as they were Gryffindors. Harry figured that they could give the Hufflepuffs a chance, and if they proved to be emptyheaded, Muggle-lovers, they could just ignore them. Draco agreed reluctantly, although he warned that Hufflepuff would side with Gryffindor in any future fights.

They were so distracted by their conversation that they didn't realize they were currently on a staircase that is prone to moving to different locations.

"Uh, Harry, are we on the third floor?" Daphne squeaked.

"Why, we can just take the next staircase down, right?" Harry said unconcerned.

"You weren't listening at the feast, were you… Dumbledore said anyone who went here would suffer a painful death," Blaise informed.

Mrs. Norris prowled on the floor, purring softly before rushing back to her master.

"Shit, let's go. We'll hide in there!" Harry said, making towards a large door. "Filch will probably be coming any minute now." Harry opened the door with an Alohamora.

They quickly jammed into the room, and not a moment too soon judging by the footsteps they heard in their previous location.

"Bad idea… bad idea…" Blaise began to mutter.

"Shush!" Draco said. "Oh… it's looking right at us."

Harry saw the massive three-headed dog and shoved his friends out of the room. After they had left, he followed them and slammed the door shut.

"Merlin… why the hell would Dumbledore put that monster there? It looked like it weighed a ton…" Draco said breathing heavily.

"This proves it… he's a lunatic," Harry said.

"No, I think I know why it's there. Did you read the _Daily Prophet_ this morning?"

"No, Father gets his news directly from the Ministry, before it has been contaminated by reporters," Draco said.

"Shh! Someone's coming," Blaise hissed.

They heard very soft footsteps and they saw Professor Quirrel approach. "B-boys and girls, I suggest you go to class now, did you not here what the headmaster said about this corridor?"

For some reason, Quirrel only stuttered when looking directly at Harry. Strangely enough, Harry's scar tingled mildly when Quirrel looked at him. Harry made sure not to look at the turban man, even though Vasuki said that he didn't sense the man using Legilimency on him.

"Yes, sir, a moving staircase, you see…"

"Mr. P-Potter, I understand. Professor D-Dumbledore has just sent me to fix the s-staircase problem," Quirrel replied.

Harry wasn't sure if he believed that, but the fact of the matter was that he had to get to class.

Just as they were about to board the staircase, they almost collided with four Gryffindors.

"What are you doing here, Weasel?" Draco sneered.

"We could ask the same," Hermione asked.

"Well, we really must be going, Granger. No time for divulging our secrets…" Harry said arrogantly.

"I bet you were up to something!" Ron shouted, a glint in his eyes. "You're going to get in trouble!"

"Wow, Draco, Weasel has got it all figured out!" Harry said rolling his eyes. "But I thought Granger was the brains of the Gryffindor operation?"

"In case you haven't noticed, you are on the third floor too, moron, so it isn't like you can report us." Daphne said. "Anyway, who would our Head of House believe? If you want to get us punished, you will have to talk to Snape."

"Well, we must go, Transfiguration class, you see. I'm afraid that even listening to McGonagall is more interesting that a few pathetic Muggles squabbling," Draco said.

Ron, Seamus, and Dean drew their wands angrily, but Hermione protested, yelling something about school rules.

"Better listen to your girlfriend, Weasley," Blaise said. "We both know that you're worse than a Muggleborn when it comes to magic."

Ron turned red, "She's not--"

The Slytherins had already turned and strode past the rankled Gryffindors, chuckling about Dumbledore messing up and sending letters to Muggles.

They arrived at Transfiguration and took a seat a minute before the wandering Gryffindors. Harry knew that they were busted when he saw the tabby cat and shook his head dejectedly when Ron said that it was lucky the professor hadn't found them.

"Mr. Weasley, if you must come in late, at least have the decency to quietly take a seat! That will be fifteen points from Gryffindor and ten points from Slytherin!" McGonagall said in her strict Scottish brogue. Many people gasped when the orange tabby transformed into the Gryffindor Head of House.

"Sorry, but it wasn't our fault--" Ron spluttered.

"Bad move, Weasley," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Mr. Weasley, are you saying that you have no control over your own movement? Please try to show some more maturity next time and take responsibility for your actions," McGonagall said with disdain.

"Now then, Transfiguration is some of the most dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. I will warn you now that absolutely no horseplay will be tolerated in my classroom. It is imperative that you keep up with your homework, lest you pay the price during our end of year examinations."

Harry glanced around the room and rolled his eyes. Why would anyone take notes on the introductory, disciplinary lecture?

_Vasuki, what do you think of our Transfiguration Professor?_

Well, I sense that she is powerful in her own right. Experienced too; I bet she does the cat routine every year. She is shooting disappointed glances at you every once in a while, Vasuki replied.

_You think she wanted me to be a Gryffindor like my parents?_

_That would be a fair assumption. However, the true question is why?_

_What do you mean?_

_Does she want you in Gryffindor because she follows the wrinkled one, or because she wants a piece of your father and mother? I would not make the assumption that her reasons for wanting you in Gryffindor are the same as the wrinkled one's._

_Harry almost snorted at Vasuki's name for Dumbledore. At least she either doesn't know Legilimency or has the decency not to attack my mind. Hopefully our questions will be answered soon enough._

_And now everyone is staring at you. Perhaps you shouldn't have been staring at your desk while communicating with me?_

_Harry looked at Professor McGonagall as if he hadn't done anything at all wrong. "Yes ma'am?"_

"_Mr. Potter, you will kindly pay attention in my class! Five points from Slytherin! I asked you what movement needed to be used in transforming a needle into a matchstick," McGonagall said, her hardened accent betraying her irritation. _

_Hermione looked a bit smug as she raised her hand._

"_A short jab, Professor," Harry stated. _

"_That is not what I said," McGonagall said harshly, causing a few chuckles to echo through the Gryffindor end. _

"_Well it's certainly the most efficient way, wouldn't you say? It's quicker than the circular motion you had described," Harry said without missing a beat._

"_Oh really, Mr. Potter. And how would you know? I don't believe that I mentioned anything about changing the wand movements of a spell to suit your desire to do the least work possible."_

_Harry's confident smile didn't leave his face, despite the fact that even a few Slytherins were eyeing him strangely. _

"_Well then, you will now attempt to transform your needle using the incantation and wand movement specified in your book. The first three students who manage the spell shall earn their house five points each," she instructed. _

_Harry knew he could do the charm, so he began to help Blaise, while keeping an eye on Hermione, to make sure that she didn't get it first. Hermione might have consumed a library or two, but Transfiguration was Harry's class. Draco, who had done the spell before, helped Daphne. _

"_Blaise, the matchstick and needle have a similar shape, so first concentrate on changing metal to wood. You just need a strong picture of it in your mind. See the problem is--"_

_Harry trailed off, noticing that McGonagall was watching him very closely. "Like this," he said, transforming the needle into a perfect match with a short jab. _

_Draco followed suit and soon had his match, giving Hermione a sneer from all the way across the room. _

"_Well… never have I seen two students get the spell after ten minutes!" McGonagall breathed. "I don't know how…"_

"_Well, they have obviously been practicing under-age magic outside of school!" Hermione huffed angrily. _

"_Jealous?" Draco said. _

"_Mr. Malfoy, you will not trade jabs with your classmates. That goes for all of you. However, five points each for Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy."_

"_Thank you, Professor," Harry said. _

"_Was Ms. Granger correct in her assumption that you have practiced this spell before?" McGonagall asked._

"_No, professor. It's a beginners spell after all; if you are able to think like a magic-user instead of a Muggle, it's a fairly easy spell," Harry replied, without a touch of dishonesty or malice. He noticed with a more than a little satisfaction that the bushy-haired girl across the room seemed insulted by his statement. _

"_I see… I suppose what you meant was if you make yourself believe the laws of magic, which are quite different than the laws of Muggles, the spell is quite easy? That is true; the purpose of this exercise is to teach students that the rules of magic are much different that the rules that they grew up with," McGonagall said. _

"_Yes, that was exactly what I was hinting at," Harry said. _

"_Well, that is very astute. Most people do not see the point of this exercise. Take five points for… Slytherin," she said, not meeting Harry's eye. "Class, continue!"_

"_Smooth, Harry," Daphne chuckled. "I still can't get it though…"_

"_Don't worry," Harry dropped his voice to a whisper. "It took me three hours of practice to get it. Don't tell anyone that."_

_By the end of class, Hermione, Blaise, and Daphne had managed the transfiguration. Much to Harry's dismay, Hermione got it before Blaise and Daphne, earning her house five points. _

_After class, they went to lunch and continued their discussion on the Daily Prophet._

"_See Draco, you should get it because it does have some informative articles every once in a while. Yesterday there was a break-in at Gringotts, which by the way has never been pulled off before. The thief didn't find what they were looking for because it is rumored the object was moved to a safer location before the break in," Daphne said._

"_So what does this have to do with a cerebus?"_

"_The dog was standing on something! A trapdoor. The dog was guarding something," Daphne stated._

"_So you think that Dumbledore is keeping the valuable object here at Hogwarts?" Blaise asked._

"_That's exactly what I think."_

_Harry thought it over. "Draco, that day when I went to Gringotts with your father, I think I saw Hagrid. Look! My vault was 712 and the vault that was broken into was 713! There are so many vaults in Gringotts, it would be to much of a coincidence for Hagrid to have a nearby vault, especially since I doubt he would have such a vault on such a guarded floor. He must have taken it here on Dumbledore's orders…"_

"_Did you actually see him near vault 713? I mean, it could have just been a coincidence, right?" Draco said. _

"_No, it all fits. Didn't your father say that the only people who are friends with Hagrid were beasts?" Harry asked. Draco nodded and Harry replied, "That's where the dog came from. Hagrid's got his hand in on this, I know it."_

"_But then why was Quirrel up there?" Draco asked. He didn't receive an answer. _

"_Maybe I should take Hagrid up on his offer and drop in for an afternoon tea," said Harry._

"_Oh I hate those Slytherins!" Hermione said to Ron and his Gryffindor friends. "Arrogant, racist, bigoted, no-good…"_

"_Yeah, I'm with you on that. I bet they were up to some dark ritual up in the third floor. That Potter is a rotten wizard, I wouldn't put it past him to be doing something illegal," Ron said angrily. _

"_No, I'm pretty sure that he just took the wrong staircase, just like we did," Hermione said. "Although I hate the way he has to be such a know-it-all."_

"_No, he's up to something, and I want to get him expelled!" Ron said angrily. _

"_Why would he go up there if Professor Dumbledore said that anyone who goes there will be in danger? It doesn't make sense…"_

"_Well, I think we should snoop around and see if we can find anything. I bet we can find some evidence to get those snarky gits in detention at the very least…"_

"_Ron, I really don't think we should…"_

"_Hermione, stop being such a goody-goody, for god's sakes!" Ron shouted irritably. _

_Hermione sniffed. She really didn't want to go. She wanted to yell back at Ron, but she knew that she wouldn't do that. No one liked her and Ron was her only potential friend. "Fine, we'll go. But for your information, I'm not a goody-goody and that's a rude thing to say!"_

"_Whatever… okay, sorry, let's go," Ron said, not sounding sorry in the least bit. _

_Hermione sighed, resigned to the fact that the only person who would talk to her in the Wizarding World was this insensitive, thick prat._

_**A/N: **_

_**I realize that Harry's vault isn't next to 713 in canon, but I took a few liberties… especially with Harry's bank statement. For the canon police out there, I'm sorry. It's the same type of thing with Harry's schedule; I'm taking a few liberties. I don't think I've done anything egregious, but I'll be happy to answer any questions about this subject. **_

_**I just want to clarify that Vasuki cannot fully keep out a decent Legilimens for more than say, thirty seconds with eye contact. If Snape was fully trying to rape Harry's mind and had eye contact, Vasuki would only be able to keep him out for a short period of time. What happened in the Great Hall was that Dumbledore used a soft Legilimency brush and sent Harry a glorious flash of his parents smiling down on him with Gryffindor robes. (That's a pretty devious trick, wouldn't you say?) Then Snape tried to break into Harry's mind, but Vasuki bought Harry time by having Harry look away. Still, Snape would have broken in eventually. Quirrel then attacks, and just as Vasuki's defenses fail and Snape and Quirrel break in, Harry breaks line of sight (which I believe is necessary for Legilimency). I got a review that pointed out that it was a bit weird having a snake, magical or no, knowing more than Harry about the Wizarding Wotld. Perhaps I am making Vasuki a bit stronger than I should, but it is safe to assume that he is like an equal of Nagini. He is less physically strong that Nagini, but he is wiser and more magical. I don't think that it is too unreasonable for him to be able to protect Harry's mind for a very short period of time, considering they can speak mentally. **_

_**A few people asked If I planned on doing all seven years. The way I have divided it up is into two parts of the Series. Rise of the Grey Lord, Part One: Nobility and Rise of the Grey Lord, Part Two: Revolution. Part One will encompass the first four years, and Part Two, the last three plus an epilogue. **_

_**Thanks for those reviews, I really appreciate people letting me know what they think. **_

_**Thanks.**_


	3. Chapter 3: Suspicions

Chapter Three: Suspicions

The Slytherin Quartet journeyed to Potions after lunch. Harry was a bit apprehensive about having class with Snape, but Draco said that Snape disliked Gryffindors, so that already put them on common ground. If Snape hadn't seen fit to try to invade his mind during the sorting, Harry would have been excited about meeting Draco's godfather.

The beginning of class started with Snape deducting points from a few Gryffindors who were late. Harry did not make eye contact, but he could feel the Potion Master's eyes looking at him everyone in a while. It was not the same piercing glare that Harry had received in the Great Hall, it was more a look of suspicion.

Snape then proceeded to ask the class a few questions. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry, along with Hermione and Draco, raised their hands. Snape eyed Harry for a moment, his face unreadable, and then called on Draco, who answered correctly, earning Slytherin five points.

Harry continued to raise his hand, but Snape always chose Draco. In all honesty, Harry was fine with being ignored, if that was indeed what the greasy professor was doing. Harry guessed that Snape was either trying to lure him into a false sense of security before he broke into his mind, or he had some grievance against Harry and preferred to pretend the Boy-Who-Lived didn't exist. Whichever it was, Harry was eagerly anticipating Lucius's response to his letter. At any rate, Harry noticed that Hermione had finally burst from not being called on and had lost her house ten points. Harry decided he might as well try to enjoy the show.

During their free period on Friday, Harry decided to drop by Hagrid's hut. He didn't bring his friends with them because he guessed that he alone would have the best chance at getting Hagrid to spill his secrets.

There was a bit of smoke coming out of the run-down hut and Harry took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Hello there, 'Arry! I was hopin' ye'd be comin' down here one of these days. Come in, come in," the huge bearded man said excitedly.

Harry had to force himself to not make a face at the messy, sprawling interior of Hagrid's hut. Various animal hairs and parts were scattered everywhere and Harry shuddered, wondering how anyone could live in this sorry excuse for a home. "Hey, Hagrid, how are you doing?"

"Quite good, 'Arry. Always nice ter settle back in to Hogwarts. How're you likin' it so far?"

"Yeah, it's definitely a great place," Harry said with fake enthusiasm.

"Tea, Harry? How 'bout some rock cakes, freshly made?" Hagrid asked jovially, plonking a steaming cup of tea and two rock cakes in front of Harry before he could answer. "So did ye have anythin' in specific ye were wantin' to discuss?"

"Thanks, Hagrid. I hope this question isn't too direct or anything, but do you think… you could tell me more about what you saw… that night?" Harry asked, a bit pitifully, deciding to get Hagrid's emotions running.

"Well, Harry, it's hard for me to explain… one of the saddest nights o' my life… but I suppose I can't blame ye for wanting to know. When I got there… the whole house was crumbling… I was about to charge in, but then your… uh, I found you and brought you to Dumbledore."

"Wait, so did you go into the house?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well… I didn't really, you were outside of the house," Hagrid said, not meeting Harry's eye.

"Hagrid… I know you're not telling the full truth. That's okay, I'm use to being lied to… I just thought that… never mind, I'll probably never find out the truth of what happened that night," Harry said sadly. Harry noticed that Hagrid was looking quite conflicted. He must have been a convincing desperate boy.

"Well, Harry, I just can't tell ye, Dumbledore'd have my head! It is true that I took you from there to Dumbledore. He told me ter drop you off with the Muggles. Now Minerva never agreed, but Dumbledore insisted that you would get the happiest life there."

Harry clenched his fist in anger. Why did everyone have to listen to Dumbledore? Could no one think for themselves and realize that leaving a boy on a Muggle doorstep might just be slightly wrong? If 'Minerva never agreed' then why did she listen to Dumbledore and never check back? Harry struggled to keep his face neutral. "Well, thank you Hagrid, it really does help to know… how it all happened. Hey, you know, I think I saw you before Hogwarts… hmm, oh yeah! At Gringotts, you were walking away, but I know it was you. Your vault is near mine, that's pretty cool, huh?"

"Oh, I didn't catch you there, Harry. I don't think my vault is near yours…"

"Yeah, it is, number 713, right?"

"Harry, that wasn't my vault, I was just checking up on something..."

"Hmm… 713… that sounds familiar, but I can't place it. Wasn't that the vault that was--"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, look at the time, Harry, ye'd better be getting back. Now you come 'round whenever ye want, okay?"

Harry smiled. Hagrid's denial was all the proof he needed to affirm his theory that Hagrid had taken some highly valuable or dangerous object from Gringotts and placed it in Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's orders. "Good bye, Hagrid."

He hadn't gotten a chance to ask about the three-headed dog, but Harry supposed that he had to move slowly but surely. He had multiple mysteries to investigate. First of all, who exactly had removed him from the crumbling house? In Harry's dreams, the flash of green light always happened in his nursery. Harry vaguely remembered a flying motorcycle, but that was most likely a memory of Hagrid taking him to Privet Drive. Perhaps he had somehow accidentally used magic to get himself out of the crumbling house? No, that wasn't it; Hagrid had let it slip that he saw someone else that night.

Then there was the question of what exactly was being hidden here at Hogwarts. Harry was sure Hagrid knew, and if Hagrid knew, then it was likely that other professors knew as well. Harry also wondered who exactly was after this mysterious object and for what reason.

Ron, Hermione, Seamus, and Dean were traveling to the third floor while Harry was chatting with Hagrid.

"Ron, I really don't think this a good idea…" Hermione said.

"Fine, you can chicken out if you want. As for the three of us, we are going to bust those damn Slytherins!"

"Keep it down!" Seamus hissed.

They walked down the floor quietly, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. They tried every doorknob they came across, but they only found deserted classrooms and closets.

"Huh, this one isn't opening," Dean said, now trying to force the door open.

"Move, I know what to do," Hermione said. " i Alohamora /i " she said with a flick of her wand. "See, Ron, it does pay off to read," she said waspishly.

They entered the room quietly, but they did not remain quiet for very long. "Hermione… this isn't good!" Ron said, turning pale.

"Run!" Seamus shouted as the dog bound forward. They escaped just in time to shut the door behind the snarling maw of the massive beast.

Hermione was breathing heavily. "See, I told you! We never should have come up here! If you don't mind, I'll be leaving before you come up with any more bright ideas to get the four of us killed, or worse, expelled."

"Fine," Ron said, following her. "I still wonder what those gits were doing up there! And what is Dumbledore thinking, putting a monster like that in a school!"

Hermione shook her head at him. "You weren't using your eyes, were you? The dog was standing on a trapdoor. It's guarding something."

"What could it be guarding, do you think?" Dean asked.

"Something that Potter and Malfoy are trying to steal," Ron hissed.

"I think I know what it's guarding," Hermione replied.

"What?" the three boys asked.

"I'm going to need to re-read some articled in the paper." Hermione left abruptly, leaving Ron annoyed and flustered.

"Would it kill her to explain once in a while?"

Harry opened up the letter delivered by the eagle owl.

i Draco and Harry,

If you haven't figured it out yet, Dumbledore was using Legilimency on you. The defense is called Occlumency. This book is a guide to Occlumency, cast a Revealing Charm on it when you are away from prying eyes. It is of utmost importance that no one discovers you have this book with you.

I do not know why Snape would attack your mind. I have sent a letter to him saying that should he continue to not respect your privacy, the matter will be brought up before the Board of Governors. Using Legilimency on an unwilling minor is highly illegal. Unfortunately, you know why we cannot press charges against Dumbledore. I see that you now realize what I have been trying to tell you about Dumbledore's manipulations. It is very important that you learn the contents of the book as soon as possible. It is custom among the purebloods who compete at the top level of politics to teach their children Occclumency during their teenage years, so that when they graduate, they can keep their agenda secret. It will be difficult for the two of you to learn it at this age, but the two of you have surprised me before.

I do not have any information to give on this Quirrel fellow. I would advise that you spend no time alone with him until more is revealed.

The Zabini's are a fairly wealthy family that tends to agree with the Malfoys on issues of blood. Serena Zabini is known for her beauty that captivated seven husbands, all of which died mysterious deaths, leaving her with the gold she now possesses. Her current husband, Darren Zabini, seems to be the only husband of hers that possesses a mind of his own. He has a seat on the Wizengamot and has cooperated with the Malfoys in the past. I do not know much about their son, Blaise, but I suggest you befriend him, while taking caution not to reveal any of your secrets. The Zabinis are known for their refusal to participate in the first war or make alliances with other families. It is hard to blame them; they did not go to Hogwarts, so they did not befriend any of us as youngsters. It is natural to trust those who you have known for the longest amount of time. I am saying this because I want you to earn the boy's trust. It is never to soon to draw allies to your side; I believe a friendship now could one day lead to an alliance. If you do not wish to associate with Dumbledore or the Dark Lord, you will have to draw the purebloods to your side.

As for the Greengrasses, Narcissa was in the same year as Catherine Greengrass. The Greengrass family is less wealthy than the Zabini family, but their bloodline is pure. Jason Greengrass was a Slytherin one year below me. He was a reserved boy, who did not speak much until he began to date Catherine. They never went out of their way to put Muggleborns in their place, but they certainly disagreed with Dumbledore. They refused invitations to join either side, claiming neither cause was a cause worth spilling blood for. For Daphne, I give you the same advice I gave you concerning Blaise. There are certainly many worse families than the Greengrasses, so it cannot hurt to gain their trust.

Remember, first impressions count for much. Be very careful of who you befriend and who you antagonize; you never know what the future will hold.

Lucius Malfoy /i 

Harry passed the letter to Draco and stuffed the book inside of his bag. So… Harry had the approval to pursue a friendship with Blaise and Daphne. That was good; Harry had to admit it could be fun to hang around kids his age other than Draco. Blaise had a good sense of humor when he wasn't being reserved and Daphne presented a different perspective than Draco. Draco tended to be arrogant and rude, whereas Daphne was polite and confident without being overconfident. Harry wasn't judging them; he had no problem with Malfoy's arrogance since he himself could be quite the cocky git. There was no point in not enjoying and making use of one's strengths, as long as one knew their limitations. There was nothing wrong with acting superior, if one was indeed superior. Acting superior was only a mistake when one was not superior, as Granger always did.

Harry couldn't wait to read up on Occlumency. Every once in a while, Vasuki told him that he felt a probe. Vasuki said that no one had attempted a full assault since the Sorting, a fact that Harry was rather thankful of. However, he knew that his luck would not last, eventually, one of the Legilimens would figure out that he didn't actually know Occlumency, and there wouldn't be anything he could do. Harry meant to get himself out of this situation as soon as possible by learning Occlumency.

He planned to study it with his three friends; they would be targeted too by those who wanted information about him. Harry entertained a few schemes about pressing charges against either Dumbledore, Snape, or Quirrel, but he realized that he had no proof; Vasuki was the one who had born the brunt of the assaults. Even if he did have proof, the only way he could get Dumbledore or one of Dumbledore's goons in trouble was if Lucius used his Galleons to lubricate the process. Harry didn't really want that either; that would escalate the conflict to a level that he didn't want to go to yet. He had to remember that Dumbledore was also capable of playing dirty and Harry wouldn't last ten seconds in a duel with Dumbledore. He probably couldn't even handle the pathetic Quirrel in a duel. For now, all he could do to protect his mind was to keep a low profile until he finished learning Occlumency and perhaps learned more battle spells.

"Guys, after dinner… sorry, guys and girl, after dinner we need to find a safe spot to practice some stuff," Harry said, looking at his friends meaningfully.

"Away from prying eyes…" Blaise said strangely. "Like Weasley and Granger's. They have been trailing us, I've been watching. Either they're attracted to us or they are spying on us. Either could be the case."

Harry chuckled. "Hmm… they have been hanging around us…" Harry grinned at his friends a bit evilly.

"I know that look. You want to give them a taste of their own medicine, don't you," Draco said, mirroring Harry's smile. "Alright, we'll show them who are the masters of spying."

Harry nodded.

"Are you sure it isn't a coincidence?" Daphne asked.

"No, they haven't been letting us out of their sight," Blaise said. "Weasley number six has got Weasleys four and five on it too. Remember when they just happened to take the wrong stairwell?"

"I suppose you're right. Now what do we do about it?" Daphne asked.

"I've got a plan…" Harry said. "Follow me, stay close. Daphne, can you go drop this off at the library for me? I'll explain later. Blaise, Draco, come with me."

---------------------------------------------------------

Harry walked past the Gryffindor table, muttering softly, "Come on… it's time. We have to do this now… we can pick it up from the library later."

"But Harry, what if the librarian finds it! I mean, then she'll know--"

"Quiet Draco, let's go, no one knows it is there. Let's go to the dorms now, we'll get it tomorrow." Harry hissed, just loud enough for Hermione to hear. "If we go now, it would look suspicious. We'll go tomorrow."

"Ron, look! It's Potter's Transfiguration book," Hermione shouted. They had gone directly to the library after dinner. They had waited twenty or so minutes so that no one would see them running out of the Great Hall abruptly and get suspicious. Little did they know that while they were waiting for the opportune moment, Daphne had planted the book and forged the note inside of the book. She was able to imitate Harry's messy scroll quite well. She now sat behind to bookshelf watching the Gryffindors.

"Just as I suspected! This book isn't the book McGonagall specified! He's just attached a different cover. That's how he's been getting all the questions!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "But that doesn't help us with whatever he's doing up there."

"I'm going to check to book for anything significant, you keep looking, he could have been referring to something else."

"Alright…" Ron searched the library again, determined to find something to use against Potter. Ron knew that it was a good idea to spy on Potter. For the first couple days, they hadn't got anything, but then Potter had slipped up, just like Ron knew he would.

"Look, a note!" Hermione exclaimed.

i Harry,

We'll do it Sunday, at midnight. No one in their right mind would be up at the Astronomy Tower then.

Draco /i 

"Merlin, Hermione, this is our chance to bust them! All we have to do is go up there and watch, I bet we'll find everything out," Ron said excitedly.

"I think we should give this to a professor so that they can investigate."

"Hermione, no one in their right mind would believe us. Who would we tell, McGonagall? And may I remind you, Filch hates me because of the twins."

"Fine, we'll investigate ourselves. We'll get up there at eleven thirty and hide behind the big star chart."

Daphne smirked from behind the bookshelf; this was just too good. After the Gryffindorks left, she headed back to the dungeons to tell Harry what she had heard.

"You're kidding, Daphne? They fell for it that easily?" Harry asked. "I mean, I thought they would fall for it, but…"

"Yeah, they did. Are we going to be there when Filch catches them?"

"No, we don't want to be caught either. We'll study down here."

"Harry, where exactly are we going to study?" Draco asked. "I mean, we can't have anyone finding us with this book."

"Well, I've been doing a bit of reading, and it seems what we need to do for the first part of learning Occlumency is just work on meditating and organizing our mind. So that's just reading, so we can do it right here, as long as the book is disguised. Then after we have an organized mind, we work on protecting each category. Then, you work on building the outer walls. That's the part where it is helpful to have someone casting Legilimens on you, so you learn by practice. We won't be at that stage for a long time, so I think for now, each day we are going to spend an our meditating and cleaning up our messy brains," Harry said, his voice lacking much enthusiasm.

"Sounds boring as hell," Draco said bluntly.

"My thoughts exactly. Let's get started…"

One hour later, they each had mild headaches and had made no progresses categorizing their minds.

Harry was still determined to get it sooner or later; he would have to learn it sometime, it might as well be now. "Alright, we'll do the same thing tomorrow.

Two days later, Harry and Draco walked by the Gryffindor table during breakfast, planning to rub in the fact that tonight four Gryffindors would be cleaning the castle with Filch. Their plan had worked perfectly, judging by Ron's angry face the next day.

"Morning, Weasley, Granger. You two look tired… were you two snogging all night in the Astronomy Tower?"

"Potter," Ron said angrily. "Why don't you piss off. No one here is in the mood to deal with you and your pet Malfoy."

"There not denying it, huh Draco," Harry said smirking.

"That's funny, Harry, the weasel is calling me a pet. He's the one who has to borrow Granger's brain to not get kicked out of Hogwarts for being a pathetic squib."

"You! You set us up!" Hermione hissed angrily, turning red.

Harry pretended to check his watch. "Hmm… you win, Draco. I thought we would have to 'fess up, and then they still wouldn't understand."

"Oh yeah, we'll you listen here, you slimy Slytherins. We're on to you and we're going to find out exactly what you're up to and get you expelled. You're here on borrowed time!" Ron shouted.

"Oh, please do follow us around. So far, you are much closer to getting expelled than we are. Have fun cleaning i my /i castle," Draco said.

They were getting glares from the whole Gryffindor table, but Harry stood his ground, his smirk not wavering. Hogwarts was his castle; it just hadn't realized it yet.

The twins circled behind them, but Harry pretended he didn't notice. "Do tell me how the cleaning goes. If Filch tells me you're good at it, I might just hire you as house-elfs to clean our manor. After all, it would be a better paying job than your father's…"

" i Stupefy! /i " shouted one twin.

" i Furnuculus! /i " Ron shouted, pointing at Malfoy.

" i Petrificus Totalus! /i the other twin said.

"No!" squealed Hermione.

" i Protego! /i Harry muttered, whirling around. His shield reflected the twin's curses right into their unsuspecting faces.

Draco did the same with the Ron's spell, angling the weak blue hex into a large bowl of scrambled eggs. Harry nearly fell down laughing as Granger, Weasley, Thomas and Finnegan were covered in goopy eggs.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" shouted an angry Professor McGonagall. "Stop immediately! Dueling in the Great Hall? Explain yourselves!"

"HE STARTED IT!" Ron barked angrily.

"Professor, if I may, here is my wand. You may check it if you would like. As you can see, I only defended myself from three students in your house, two of which are older than me," Harry said coolly and casually. Draco followed suit.

"Ms. Granger, can you tell me the truth? What happened!" McGonagall said.

"I would think that it is crystal clear what transpired here, Minerva. Your students ganged up on my students. That will be one month of--"

"Severus, may I remind you that it is my job to discipline my students!" McGonagall snapped. She turned to the Gryffindors. "What on earth is running through your minds lately! You four are already in detention for being out of bounds, why did you feel the need to make it worse!"

"Please Ma'am, Potter was provoking Ron and his brothers."

"And instead of ignoring them, you chose to take a bath in eggs?" Snape said.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, causing steam to literally blow out of Ron's red ears.

"Potter is up to something, professor."

"Mr. Weasley, once again I find myself telling you to take responsibility for your actions. I'm afraid that you three are going to have detention tomorrow. You will also lose thirty points from Gryffindor… each. Mr. Potter, Malfoy, you will lose--"

"Now, now Minerva, it is my responsibility to discipline my students."

"Then I suggest you do so i properly /i ."

Snape nodded at her and smiled. "Potter, Weasley, ten points each for diffusing an escalating situation and handling three undisciplined boys without dropping to their level."

"WHAT!" Ron shouted. "That's not fair! He insulted us first and purposefully reflected our spells at us."

"That matter is concluded, Weasley," Snape said, stalking off, followed by McGonagall.

"The offer is always open, Weasley. Remember that once you get yourself expelled," Draco said before the two Slytherins turned and left.

"Five points from Slytherin for… unnecessary verbal jabs," McGonagall said half-heartedly.

When they sat back down at their table, they received more than a couple thumps on their backs from their fellow snakes.

Harry was more interested in Snape's actions. Snape had actually said his name and "points for Slytherin" in the same sentence. Before today, Snape had completely ignored him, although he did glance at Harry strangely every once in a while. Harry shrugged; Snape obviously had something against him. For now, Harry decided to let it be rather than to confront him.

"Do you two think that now they will actually keep their noses out, or just try harder?" Blaise asked.

"Don't know, don't really care," Harry said. "That was also payback for their little stunt on the train."

"I wonder why they were even following us in the first place," Daphne said. "I have an idea…"

"Granger probably wanted to catch us studying inappropriate books. That's why the library idea worked like a charm," Draco said.

"No, I think it's something different. On the way to Transfiguration, let's take the wrong staircase 'on accident'."

"You mean they know about the dog?" Blaise asked.

"It's possible. They must have seen the trapdoor--"

"And they think we're after whatever was stolen!" Draco said.

"Fine, we'll see if they follow," Harry said. "Draco, do you think your dad would know what's being hidden?"

"No… he didn't know anything was being hidden here."

"Well the professors know, that's for sure. Draco, what do you think the chances are of your godfather letting something slip?"

"I don't think he will. Plus he might be tempted to break into my mind if I asked his something like that," Draco said. "Hagrid will be more likely to spill."

"Yeah, but every time I go there I have to eat his cooking…" Harry mock-complained.

The Slytherin Quartet 'accidentally' stepped onto the moving staircase and ended up at the third floor. They made sure to be seen by Hermione and Ron, but the Gryffindors did not follow them wildly. Hermione did nudge Ron, and the two of them walked slower than usual, keeping the staircase in sight.

"Hmm… they're definitely watching us. But then again, they always watch us," Daphne commented.

"I expected them to come charging to catch us in the act," Draco said disappointedly.

"They've learned," Harry commented. "That's not a bad thing actually, now they won't know if we are really up to something or not, so if we really have to come up here, they might think we are bluffing."

"…And now we're almost late to Transfiguration," Blaise commented. "Did you lot read the pages you were supposed to? She said she would punish those who didn't do their homework."

Draco snorted, "Thank you, Granger."

"Hey, I was just saying because I know she is impartial, but this morning she looked like she would love a good reason to dock Slytherin of its one hundred point lead."

The weeks began to pass quickly as Harry and his friends carved out their place in Hogwarts. They Gryffindors continued to trail after them, but Harry honestly didn't care because they provided entertainment whenever he felt the urge to use his sharp tongue. Granger's determination to beat him in every subject hadn't lessened at all; she had stopped trailing Harry with Ron and started living in the library. Harry couldn't compete in Astronomy or Herbology because he simply didn't care enough to memorize loads and loads of material that wouldn't help him in the practical world. He did, however, stand his ground in Charms and Potions, and was the top student in Transfiguration and DADA. After the first week or two of school, he had gone to the library and picked up some books that contained third-year material, just to make sure that he would keep his lead.

Occlumency was proving to be a real challenge. It had been three weeks and the majority thoughts and memories were still not categorized, and he was still ahead of the others. Still, he kept at it, certain that he would get it eventually. He was making progress, even if the progress was very slow.

His relationship with the Weasleys had only worsened. The family of redheads were fairly influential and popular within the Gryffindor house, so they had quickly turned their house against the Slytherin first years. Harry didn't really care all that much; the Gryffindors were all future Dumbledore worshippers anyway, not to mention sorry excuses for duelists. Harry, with the help of his friends, got the best of the Gryffindors more times than not, making him very popular amongst his fellow Slytherins. A few of the older Slytherins sometimes argued with them, but it was an unspoken rule amongst the house to support your fellow snakes, even if they were overconfident, arrogant first years who walked around the castle as if they owned the place.

Snape still hadn't noticed that Harry was a member of his house yet. Snape wouldn't call on him in class and whenever Harry asked a question, Snape would sneer and answer curtly. During the last Potions class, Harry had lobbed an ashquill into Hermione's potion, causing a volatile reaction that ruined the Potion, and Snape i had /i given Hermione a failing grade for the Potion and denied seeing Harry throw anything. Harry supposed that as long as he worked for the benefit of the Slytherins, Snape would at least be civil and not assault his mind.

DADA was a complete joke, especially to Harry and Draco, who had already learned all of the spellwork. Harry decided to do some real training over the summer to make up for a year of learning about stupid little creatures that could be downed with a well-placed Cutting Curse. Lucius had always said that the best defense was a strong offense. Perhaps Harry could use his quote against him to get Draco's father to teach them some serious spells this summer. If Lucius refused, Harry would use the Manor's wards to practice offensive spells anyway.

Today Harry was going to his first flying lesson with… the Gryffindors. Harry and Draco shared a look when they saw the pitiful sticks they would be riding since first years were not allowed their own brooms.

"Now on the count of three, you will say 'up' firmly. You will NOT leave the ground!" Madam Hooch said.

Harry rolled his eyes and brought his broom to his hand, as did Draco. He let out a snort as he saw that everyone else's brooms were rolling around on the ground. "Blaise, Daphne, be more authoritative," he advised.

A few minutes later, Madam Hooch was saying, "Now mount your broom, but do not kick off. I SAID DO NOT, LONGBOTTOM! COME DOWN IMMEDIATELY!"

Harry didn't have anything against the shy Gryffindor, so he didn't laugh like the rest of Slytherin. Neville was now zooming out of control and he plowed into Hermione, knocking the two of them on to the ground.

Soon they were both taken to the Hospital Wing. Draco and Blaise were re-enacting their performance, and even Harry thought it was rather funny.

"SHUT UP!" snarled Ron. "I bet you lot are worse flyers anyway."

Harry rolled his eyes and whipped out his wand. He transfigured Hermione's bag of books into a Quaffle and summoned it.

"Draco, how about a game?" Harry said as he flew up into the air.

"Why not," Draco replied.

"Give that back, Potter," Ron said. Seamus and Dean backed him up and made similar demands.

"Why, are there love notes in here? 'Oh, Hermione, I love the way spittle sprays from your mouth when you scold me about my bad grades'," Draco said.

"Draco, don't make me fall off my broom laughing…" Harry muttered. "Weasel, why don't you come and get it? I mean, you did say you have a broom back at your burrow, right?"

"Fine," he said, turning red. He flew up into the air, not nearly as gracefully as the Slytherins. He shot towards Harry, but Harry tossed the 'Quaffle' to Draco, who caught it neatly and began to toss it up and down in his hand.

"No! Ron, they'll just get you into trouble!" Hermione said.

"Damnit Malfoy, I'm going to…" Ron tried to knock Draco off of his broom, but Draco cut to the side and Ron flew past him.

There was a groan from the Gryffindor section.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on here?" a familiar strict, scottish voice yelled. "COME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" McGonagall shrieked. "Explain yourselves now! Why on earth were the three of you not on the ground?"

"Professor, they took Hermione's bag and turned it into a Quaffle. They were chucking it around!"

"Yes, I saw them chucking it around…" She looked at Harry. "It's such a shame…" She looked at all of them, her sharp expression back on her face. "One hundred points from Slytherin! And you are lucky you aren't expelled for this! If you ever even think about flying without approval, you will be removed from this school before you can say 'Quidditch'. Mr. Weasley, you should not have joined them. You almost got yourself, and possibly Mr. Malfoy, killed. Fifty points from Gryffindor."

Ron nodded dejectedly. He shot a look of pure venom at Malfoy.

"And Mr. Potter, how on earth did you manage to transfigure a bag full of books into a round Quaffle? That's… most third-year students wouldn't be able to manage that on their first try…" McGonagall said breathlessly. "Exactly what incantation did you use?"

Harry hadn't used an incantation; there was no need. Lower-level Transfiguration generally was taught with incantations, but higher-level Transfiguration was mostly done without words. Harry thought that it would benefit him to learn how to do even the lower-level spells silently, so when he progressed to more complicated spells, he would already have done half of the work. "I used the… uh Morphus Quaffle, Ma'am," Harry lied, not wanting to give away the fact he could do nonverbal magic.

McGonagall eyed him sharply. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that? That's not even a real spell, you just made that up on the spot. I'll ask you one more time, how exactly did you turn the bag into a Quaffle?"

"Well, I made it up and it worked," Harry retorted.

"Then you used a spell not taught on the syllabus," McGonagall said, turning slightly pale.

"Well, as I have said before, the syllabus is rather pathetic…"

"You will not speak in that manner, Mr. Potter. Ten points from Slytherin. I would advise you to stay in line from here on out," McGonagall said before leaving. "That goes for all of you; I sincerely hope none of you has the foolishness to stick a toe out of line again."

September turned to October and Dumbledore decided it was time to have a teacher's conference. He had grown a bit concerned about the behavior of one Mr. Potter. Yesterday, Harry cast a Flame Hex without his wand, solely for the purpose of scaring a Hufflepuff who had asked him a question. Dumbledore had probed various minds over the past week, and he had come to the conclusion that Harry Potter was a firm believer of i Nemo Me Impune Lacessit /i . Students who had picked fights with Harry or simply annoyed him, had always received payback. Naturally the attitude of Slytherin Quartet had angered many of the students, such as the Weasleys. It was almost as if Harry enjoyed baiting them, simply so that he could have that moment of triumph afterward.

That was not all, however. Harry and his friends did not limit their offensive pranks and schemes to those who attacked first. Apparently Harry and his Slytherin friends believed that they were better than other students at Hogwarts, and thus had taken it upon themselves to show other students their place. The Quartet was obviously fiercely loyal to each other, but unfortunately, that only served to bring out the worst in each of them. While they had not been terrorizing other students, they made it very clear that they were not to be trifled with. In short, they took respect by force instead of earning it.

Another known fact that riled Dumbledore to the core was the fact that racist, ignorant, bigoted, pureblood statements had been coming out of Harry Potter's mouth. Dumbledore sighed; one thing he detested were wizards who believed they were better than others. He shook his head sadly; how else could it have turned out after Harry had been taken by the Malfoys? They had obviously brainwashed him to a great degree; how else would his 'suggestion' to be sorted into Gryffindor have failed?

James and Lily had been such perfect Order members. They were fiercely loyal, powerful, smart, and extremely good-hearted. Dumbledore did not despair when the Malfoys had taken in Harry because he was sure that the Malfoys wouldn't be able to rid Harry of his parent's qualities. Five years ago, Dumbledore had made a tough decision; whether to take Harry away from the Malfoys by force, which would cause more than a little sound and fury throughout the Wizarding World, or leave him there, which would mean Dumbledore would have to readjust his plans and work a bit harder to push Harry in the right direction. Now it seemed that he would have to work very hard to push Harry back in the right direction. Still, no matter how difficult it proved to be, there was no other option. Harry i had /i to be the bringer of the light; the one who would carry out Dumbledore's plans.

"Well, let us wait no more. I have organized this conference because I am a bit… concerned with some of our students this year. I would like each of you to share your thoughts and opinions concerning one Harry Potter," Dumbledore said. "Minerva, would you like to begin?"

"Albus, that boy is just like James, except… except he's twice the menace! He delights in making fools out of the members of my house and putting me in a position where I must deduct points from my own house, despite the fact that half the blame lies on his shoulders. I never thought I would say this, I would take seven more years of his father's gang rather than his gang," Minerva said flustered.

"Minerva, I beg to differ. Harry Potter's gang is no more cruel than his fathers. I am quite enjoying the fact that your house has to deal with the arrogant dunderheads this time," Snape said darkly.

"Severus, if you would just discipline them instead of encouraging them--"

"That I cannot do. You see, it is rather entertaining to watch Potter make his father roll around in the grave," Snape replied wryly.

"Enough!" Dumbledore shouted. "The problem here is how to get Mr. Potter back on the right track. For that, I need a clear understanding of his actions in each of your classes. Minerva, what else can you add?"

"He… he possesses a knowledge of Transfiguration way past his age. And uses his skill to expose the challenged students in my house. His friends are also doing quite well. The only one who can compete is Ms. Granger, but she does that by intense study, whereas I have yet to see Mr. Potter actually read or study. It's as if he's already taken this year," McGonagall answered.

"Hmm… so the boy is naturally powerful… not too surprising. And he uses that power to make others feel weak and insignificant?" Dumbledore asked frowning, taking a long sip of tea.

"Well, not exactly, I believe that he does truly help those who earn his…"

"Trust? Respect?" Dumbledore prompted.

"Something like that."

"Very well. Severus, I believe you were eager to add productively to the discussion?" Dumbledore said, giving Snape a look.

"He is the perfect Slytherin--"

McGonagall harrumphed loudly.

"—Although I absolutely hate to admit it. I do not know how, but he somehow possesses cunning and subtlety, unlike his naïve, foolish father. At first, I believed it was some huge mistake that Potter was placed in my house. Perhaps it was some hare-brained scheme of our headmaster's… Anyway, I soon realized that the boy is everything that a pureblood father would want in a son. That would also provide an explanation for his friends--"

Dumbledore interrupted at this point, "Friends? Friends or allies? Friends or… servants?"

"I am not sure. I believe Malfoy is a true friend of Potter's. They are inseparable and show signs of camaraderie. From what I can tell, Potter treats his friends as equals."

"Now, I don't think his friends are a good influence on him," Professor Flitwick said.

"Why? They are all powerful, like-minded individuals." Snape said.

"Potter is very bright, more so than his friends. His friends, however, are from old-fashioned families, so I believe that Potter feels the need to prove himself to them by adopting their beliefs."

"Filius brings up an important point," Dumbledore said. "I am sure you have noticed that Harry's mentality does not mirror that of his parents. I am afraid this is because of the friends he keeps."

"So it is all fine and dandy when some arrogant Gryffindor comes into the school and bullies the Slytherins, but when a Slytherin comes into the school and does the same to Gryffindors, we must take drastic measures?"

"Severus, why can't you bury the grudge!" McGonagall shouted.

Dumbledore held up his hand. "Please, try to understand. There are reasons why this scenario is different to the normal bully situation."

"What can we do, Albus? Harry respects Malfoy more than he respects us," McGonagall said. Her face hardened, "I told you, Albus, eleven years ago. I told you we should have given him to a light magical family, like the Weasleys."

"This is a problem to which I have no solution, I'm afraid. The goal is clear; we must steer Harry back to the side of the light. However, this is a very delicate situation; if we make a mistake, we may push him farther away from us."

"I do not see the problem, Headmaster. So what if Potter annoys a few Weasleys? It kills me to say this, but we should be happy that Potter is showing an aptitude for magic. After all, the Dark Lord will make mincemeat--"

"Severus." Dumbledore held up his hand, silencing the Potions Master. "The problem is that Harry may feel the need one day to foray into Dark Magic. You know too well how seductive the Dark Arts can be, Severus. It is a trap that is extremely easy to fall into and we cannot allow Harry to make the same mistakes Voldemort, known then as Tom Riddle, made." Dumbledore allowed the statement to sink in fully. "Now, for some reason, I cannot monitor his wand. I have taken the liberty of checking Ollivander's records, and I found no record of Harry Potter ever purchasing a wand. We do not know if he has already begun to be corrupted, although I believe he is still innocent. What we need to do it keep a very, very close eye on the child. Severus, you must learn exactly what he does in the Slytherin Dungeons."

"A-and what will y-you do about P-P-Potter, Albus," Quirrel said, entering the conversation for the first time. ""Say he is learning the D-D-Dark Arts… what must be done?"

"I will, slowly but surely, help Harry see the light. We speak again after the term has ended."

No one saw Quirrel's smirk. No one heard the cold whisper, "_And I shall, slowly but surely, show Harry Potter the darkness."_

_**AN**_------------------------------------ ----

**Well, sorry about taking so long. Work has been a killer lately. **

**Anyhow, thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them. **

**So… coming up next: Quidditch, Halloween, and More Suspicions. **


	4. Chapter 4: Pushed in Dangerous Direction

**Chapter 4: Pushed In Dangerous Directions**

Harry and Draco watched the Slytherin Quidditch team practice from the stands. Much to Draco's dismay, the Slytherin Chasers were all much older than him and friends of the captain, meaning there was little chance of replacing one of them.

Harry, on the other hand, watched Higgs with a criticizing eye. The boy's turns were loose and lazy, and he was barely managing to dodge the bludgers hit at him. If it took all of his concentration to dodge bludgers, how in the world did he catch the snitch in a game, when the Beaters would be focused on him?

Harry mounted his Nimbus 2000, which he had received in the mail, shrunk so nobody would notice. Harry looked at Draco and nudged his head towards the pitch. Draco shook his head.

"Next year for sure, mate," Harry said, patting Draco on the back.

"Yeah… you go get them now," his friend responded.

The snitch was now released and Higgs was shooting after it.

Harry flew over Flint and loudly counted, "Five… four…"

"Potter! What the hell are you doing?"

"Three… two… one." Harry sped off towards the snitch. His eyes zoomed in on the fluttering winged ball as he zoomed closer.

Harry noticed with a flicker of annoyance that the huge lumps of Beaters, Derrick and Bole, had thwacked two bludgers at him.

Harry didn't take his eyes of the snitch. He dipped down, allowing one to sail overhead, and then made a tight zigzag as he heard the whoosh of air from the second bludger. 

The snitch cut to the right sharply, and Harry bolted after it. Higgs had the lead before, but he did not manage to turn as sharply or quickly as Harry did, so now the pair of seekers were neck and neck. Higgs made to bump Harry's broom, but Harry braced himself and accepted the hit. Higgs was hitting him because he knew that Harry had the lead and would not lose it unless he used his bulk against the younger Slytherin.

Higgs moved to grab Harry's broomtail, but he grabbed empty air as Harry scooted forward and caught the snitch. Harry lazily zoomed to the ground, tossing the captured snitch up and down.

"Oi! Potter! What the hell do you think you are doing?" shouted Higgs.

"You may be a good flyer, but you're also an arrogant upstart," Flint said. "And we're tired of you. It's high time we show you what happens to brats who don't know their place."

"My place is with my foot on top of your head, Flint. You're a shitty Quidditch Captain and I've come to change things. You're not that shitty that you can't at least win by 150 points. Listen, you don't have to like me, just let me catch the snitch," Harry said authoritatively. He shot Higgs a sneer. 

"You won't be catching anything, Potty. We're about to break every bone in your body," Higgs said. He motioned to Bole and Derrick, who moved in threateningly.

"Enough!" shouted the voice of Severus Snape. "Flint, I have no doubt in my mind who is the better Seeker. It is your responsibility to make the best decision for your team."

"You're siding with the whelp?" Flint asked incredulously.

Harry promptly drew his wand and cast a Silencing Charm on Flint.

"You were saying, Professor?"

"I'll silence you the painful way, you little shit!" Higgs said angrily, charging at Harry.

"STOP!" Snape shouted angrily. Snape looked at Harry thoughtfully for a moment and then made his decision. "Flint, you will treat all of your team members with respect, or I shall remove that badge from your chest. Harry Potter is now a part of the team."

Snape looked at Harry and gave him a curt nod before leaving. To hell with Dumbledore's little project, Snape thought. Potter is a Slytherin through and through; to turn him into a Gryffindor would be a waste of time and effort.

The next Quidditch practice had been brutal; Harry was heavily targeted by the beaters, who were cheered on by the rest of the team. Everyone had stopped to laugh when Harry had slipped up and a Bludger crashed into his stomach. Luckily for Harry it had been a grazing shot, but it still was rather painful. Harry had ignored them for the most part, and took great pleasure in ridiculing the beaters when they missed. He was a bit annoyed with the Slytherins who seemed bent on revenge; couldn't they see that he was the best Seeker in Slytherin? Still, even if they did not treat him as he deserved to be treated, being the Slytherin Seeker had its benefits. The Gryffindors had thrown quite a tantrum when they had found out that Harry had a broomstick.

Aside from Quidditch, Harry's classes had settled down. The teachers seemed to always be keeping an eye on him or analyzing his every action, but he really couldn't care less. So far he was able to complete his course work with minimal effort, something that irked Granger to no end. He thought that the Hogwarts curriculum was severely lacking, and he made sure that let others know exactly what he thought about his classes. Harry was of the opinion that the reason the classes were so slow was because Hogwarts was made to accommodate Muggleborns, who, of course, needed the slow pace so that they wouldn't fall behind. 

The Gryffindorks had stopped trailing Harry and his friends for good ever since Weasley caught Harry with a broom and followed him to the pitch, hoping to get him expelled for flying.

Snape had intercepted him and placed him in detention.

Snape wasn't cold to Harry anymore, but Snape still didn't talk to him unless it was necessary. Harry was no closer to figuring out the reason; Snape heavily favored Slytherin, heavily favored Draco, and hated Gryffindors. Harry, to a certain extent, was responsible for Gryffindor being in last place for the House Cup, so why did Snape keep a neutral look plastered to his greasy face? Not that Harry really cared; as long as Snape wasn't invading his mind, he was happy. It was simply a matter of curiosity.

"Blaise, your move," Harry said. The boys were all sitting in the Slytherin Common Room and Harry was currently playing Blaise in chess.

"Blaise, take his bishop," Draco suggested.

"How stupid do you think I am, Draco?"

Draco grinned. "Stupid enough to not take the bishop."

"Quiet, Draco. Just go already, we have ten minutes until dinner," Harry said.

"After 'you know what' tonight, I'll play the winner," Draco said. "I hope Blaise wins, I've--"

"—Lost to Harry more times than you can count?" Harry supplied.

Draco chuckled. "Whatever. I won last week."

"Because you cheated."

"Did not."

"All of my pieces will testify that you castled inappropriately," Harry retorted.

"And mine will back me," Draco said.

Daphne walked in the room, saying, "C'mon you two, stop arguing about that. Merlin, you're like little schoolboys… oh wait, that's the truth!"

"Quiet," Draco said irritably. "You were the schoolgirl when we put a slug inside of your hat."

It was nearly Halloween, but the Occlumency still hadn't been going very well. They had been spending an hour every night, and so far, Harry had managed to place the majority of his thoughts into loose, vague, categories, but with poor organization. The other three had made less progress than that. Harry still had to get his thoughts and memorises into very specific, organised categories, and then work on organizing the categories by arranging his mind like a walled city, or concentric circles, with his most private thoughts in the center, surrounded by layers of decreasingly private thoughts. Then mental walls needed to be built around each layer. Then he would have a secure mind, but to get to Dumbledore's level, he would have to practice actually blocking a real Legilimens. He had a long way to go. Still, the results would be worth it; if he wanted to one day compete in the top rungs of society, every power he had would help him.

Which was why he had decided to weasel into the Restricted Section, by book or by crook. Lucius had sent him a letter telling him that it wasn't safe for the boys to learn powerful spells or dark arts. Harry had asked Draco's father for some spells that would help them in combat situations, and he had sent them a nice, shiny copy of the fifth year DADA textbook.

That wasn't enough for Harry; he really wanted to be able to compete with the adults as soon as possible. He wasn't interested in learning anything _too_ dark or powerful, but perhaps more spells that Aurors used? Shouldn't he _start_ learning about magic that could save or take lives, so that when he was seventeen, he would be strong?

He knew he was powerful child, but what use was his power is all he did was sit through mundane lectures? Lucius said he could learn when he was older. He said that this summer, he would work with the boys. That seemed a lot like procrastination to Harry, and hadn't he been taught to execute first and relax later? If he got started now, he would be able to work on the more complicated stuff later. He may only be eleven, but he wasn't some oblivious, wide-eyed child, or a pathetic squib. Harry respected Lucius a lot, but he couldn't help but think that Lucius was wrong about this particular issue. Anyway, since he was marooned in this stupid castle, why not make use of his time and get a real education?

"Draco, do you think Snape will give us permission?" Harry asked quietly as they planned their library raid.

"Harry, why do we have to study more, we can already-"

"This isn't studying, don't you want to learn how to fight? We're going to learn cool stuff, not boring stuff."

"But it's from the _library," _Draco whined.

"Yeah, well, Dad won't teach us until we get older, because 'there are certain spells that are dangerous for young wizards to perform'," Harry said, mocking Lucius' tone. "I don't know whether he wants us to wait for a year, or wait until we reach magical maturity. Either way, I'm bored, and we have about an hour of free time every day, even factoring in Quidditch and Occlumency."

"Fine, I guess it would be nice to prove that we can learn anything those bloody adults can. You want to include Blaise and Daphne?" Draco asked.

"Not yet, I mean, I trust them, but… they are lot behind us when it comes to magic. We can do it faster with just the two of us, and there is less chance of getting caught," Harry said.

"Yeah, I agree. Do you have any books in mind? I mean, the Hogwarts Library probably won't have anything useful, even in the Restricted Section. And even if we do find something, what if Pince or someone keeps an inventory of all of the books and, I don't know, realises that it is gone and tells Dumbledore?"

"It's worth a shot; we can't get into the Malfoy Library right now, and we can't go to Knockturn Alley. It's our best bet. I'm sure the library will have what we need to get started; we're not looking for anything too serious. Look, the way I see it, if we slack off now, we will only be mediocre when we become adults. I agree with what your father says, and I respect him more than I respect any other adult, but I just don't understand his stance on this issue. I mean, shouldn't he be encouraging us to learn how to fight beyond the bloody fifth year Hogwarts Curriculum?"

Draco thought about it and replied, "Well, maybe because it would be safer to do it in the Manor. Perhaps we should just wait until summer, and then we can go beyond the Hogwarts Curriculum. He may have a good reason…"

"Well, I think that we should at least get started. Tomorrow, let's go to the library and see. We'll cast Disillusionment Charms on ourselves; as long as we remember to reapply them every five minutes or so, we will be invisible," Harry said firmly.

The next morning, while the Slytherins were eating their breakfasts, a familiar eagle owl dropped a parcel in between Harry and Draco. After glancing at each other, Harry opened it, and began to read the letter.

_Draco and Harry,_

_I spoken with Severus, and he has said some very interesting things. He assures me that you are perfect Slytherins, and that you have the top grades in most classes. There is a reason I am telling you this. I am proud of the two of you, true, but I have__ realised__ that it is time for the two of you to... expand in your studies. _

_What I am speaking of is this; you have proven that you are mature enough to handle magic of a powerful nature. I want you to read this book thoroughly, but read it with a certain mindset. I want you to read it, understanding that there is no such thing as evil magic, or light magic. Those are labels created by weaker men, who do not understand that magic, and the knowledge of magic, is neither holy nor cursed, but simply power. Harry, this is what your parents failed to__ realise__, and it is of utmost importance that you understand this. They were good people, but they never reached their full potential, because they refused to penetrate the secrets of magic. They definitely did not deserve to die, and I was saddened by their deaths, but there is no denying that had they the intelligence to break away from Dumbledore and experience magic in all of its glory for themselves, they would be alive today, and most likely prominent and powerful members of our society. _

_What I am saying is that those who think in terms of good and evil cannot reach their full potential. That is it; magic is a power, and power is what defines us. Power is what makes us wizards and sets us apart from filth like Muggles and Muggleborns. I am sending you this book, because it is time for the two of you to begin your journey; it is time for you to learn how to harness your power and use it. You both have potential, and the time has come where we must begin to tap into your potential. Read not this book with a head filled with delusions of good and evil. This book is to give you knowledge, and knowledge is power. _

_Do not disappoint me; I am placing a great degree of trust in the two of you by doing this for you. _

_PS: Please destroy this letter after reading it. Cast a Revealing Charm on the book when in private. Do not mention this in letters home, because Narcissa is firmly against the two of you learning this type of magic until you are older. All fathers and sons have secrets, consider this one of them._

Lucius Malfoy

Harry gaped at the letter. Did Lucius really have such a change of heart so quickly? Merlin… this was excellent, Lucius had finally realised they weren't little boys! He was going to help them realise their full potential. This was… pretty much the opposite of what Lucius told him in the last letter, but Harry did agree with nearly everything said in the letter. It did seem like the type of thing Lucius would say.

Lucius had always told him to stay above the sides of good and evil. He had always said that those lines were invented by fools, who needed to see the world in shades of black and white. He could practically see the words coming from the man's mouth.

But why now? Perhaps Harry's point had finally reached him and overwhelmed whatever protests Narcissa may have? No, Lucius must know something. He must know that there was some event looming ahead, for which the boys would need more knowledge that they currently possess.

"Draco, read this, it's from father," Harry said excitedly as he tucked the book into his robes.

Draco's eyes flew wide open as he read it. He glanced towards the package. "Father… he…"

"Shh… not here. Let's skive off History."

Draco nodded excitedly, and the pair journeyed to their dorms. They planned to tell Binns that they had been in the Hospital Wing. It would work on the lethargic ghost because the man wouldn't leave his chair to check if the story was true.

When they were alone, Harry put up a Silencing Charm and a Sentry Ward around their area. "Okay, let's see what is in this book, right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah… I mean, it's a book and all, but… Father said it would make us more powerful," Draco said, as he cast the Revealing Charm.

_The Darker Side of Magic: A Beginner's Guide_

"Wow, he wasn't kidding," Harry pointed out. The book cover was made of blackened leather, with red letters. On the inside, the pages were worn, but the lettering was still clear.

"How do you think we should get started?" Draco asked. "I mean, Father just said to learn it."

"Well, we read it all first. Then we go through, page by page, until we can do everything. That should keep us occupied for a while." Harry flipped through the pages. "See, it ends with the Conflagaration Curse, and begins with a lot of neutral spells, some of which we already know. In between all of the curses, they have a few pages of theory, which will help us go from one curse to the next. If every week or so, we manage to learn a new curse, we should be done by summer. Imagine how that will be. By our second year, we will be able to take down even the seventh years."

"Yeah, I wish we could just skive off Herbology and Astronomy, and learn this stuff. It's so much cooler."

"Some of this stuff looks fairly dangerous. Usually your father always gives us some sort of safety lecture. This time he didn't…" Harry observed. "See… that Seizure Curse… ouch, just ouch."

"I'm not complaining if he has finally realised that we aren't stupid enough to blow our eyes out."

"True," Harry agreed. "So… we definitely shouldn't get Blaise and Daphne in on this. I mean, they are fairly powerful, but they don't know enough to really get started. If we hold off now, we can always integrate them later, once we see that they are ready. That will give us more time to see how loyal they actually are."

"Yeah, I was about to say that. There is one problem though. They will notice it if we go missing every day or so. So will others. We will need to come up with an excuse, and find a safe place to practice."

"Hmm… we can tell them that we are just studying and we have to do it in private. They may be suspicious, but the way in which they react will be a good judge of whether we should tell them more or less. I still don't know where we can practice. I mean, if Dumbledore finds out, then…" Harry trailed off, imagining Dumbledore catching him red handed and proceeding to scold him and take away his wand.

"What if… what if we went into the Forbidden Forest?" Draco said.

"No… even if it isn't dangerous, there could be things in there that will see us, and report us to Dumbledore. I know that Hagrid likes to go in there every once in a while."

"Okay, how about we go up to the third floor, to a room next to the one with the dog."

"No… remember all of the Professors have something to do with that floor and whatever is being hidden there."

"Well, I'm out of ideas," Draco said. "Ask your snake."

_Vasuki, do you have any ideas?_ Harry asked.

_How about that deserted house, near the Forbidden Forest. I never see anyone in there when I go for a hunt. _the snake replied.

_The Shrieking Shack? Isn't that haunted_? Harry asked.

_No, foolish Master, it is completely empty. It has a secret entrance, from the Whomping Willow._

_Hmm… if we can get in there and practice, without anyone noticing… that sounds perfect. No one goes there!_ Harry said mentally. "Draco, how about we go to the Shrieking Shack. Vasuki says it isn't inhabited, and we can get to it from the Whomping Willow!"

"What? Are you crazy? I'm not going in there!" Draco protested. "It is empty for a reason!"

"Scared, Malfoy?" Harry said smirking.

"No, just not stupid. In case you haven't noticed, that damned tree turns everything near it into a bloody pulp!" Draco said hotly.

"Vasuki knows a way around that. Look, we will sneak down there and check it out. If it is haunted, we will go back. But if it isn't, we will clean it up a bit, and then use it to practice. We can cast Disillusionment Charms on ourselves, so nobody knows we are there. With Silencing Charms, no one will know anything out of the ordinary is going on in the Shack."

"The idea has merit," Draco said. "And I'm not bloody scared. Let's go… but I'm warning you, if you and your bloody snake get us killed…"

Harry coughed, and Draco scowled, because Harry's cough sounded suspiciously like 'Scared'.

During the night, the boys and Vasuki, who was currently rather small, snuck outside. Vasuki had somehow figured out that he was supposed to press the stump to tranquillise the tree, and he did that while the boys snuck inside. They lit their wands, and journeyed into the middle of the shack. They wanted a room in which they could light their wands completely, but in a place where no one on the outside would be able to see the lights.

"Alright, the Silencing Charm it up… let's shield the walls, so we don't destroy the house. A couple Cleaning Charms wouldn't hurt…" Harry muttered.

"Now what?" Draco asked.

"Well, let's make sure we can do all of the prerequisites." Harry scanned the list of spells that the book said one should know before beginning. To his satisfaction, he knew how to do everything on that list. He cast a few of the more complicated charms and curses, just to make sure. "Okay, this week we will work on the Lesser and Greater Inflammare Curses."

The two of them spent nearly an hour, spraying jets of fire at the wooden walls, which did not burn, thanks to the magical shields they had placed upon the walls. The book taught them how to control the intensity, direction, and speed of the fire. They resolved to work on endurance and control over the next couple days, as the book said they should. The book said that powerful wizards could hold the Greater Inflammare Curse for over a minute, which was enough to set most houses fully ablaze. Harry and Draco could each manage a few seconds, and their flame wasn't nearly as big as the picture in the book. Still, it would be enough to seriously hurt someone.

Everyday they journeyed down to the Shrieking Shack, where they practiced spells for about an hour. When they returned, they would work on Occlumency with their friends. It was a good feeling to know that one was in the process of improving one's self, instead of doing nothing. Their progress through the book was slow, but learning spells that could be used to fight was completely different to learning how to charm an object to do a funny trick. Harry felt as if he was slowly building a large house, and each day, he would add new bricks.

He continued to practice the other subjects, so he would stay far ahead of the class, but he soon realised that practicing Dark Spells gave him a heavy workout in most magical departments. He slowly found himself reading the _Darker Side of Magic_ more, and his other books less. Why practice animating chairs when one could practice animating swords? It was as if the book was tying together all that he had learned over the past years. He had spent a lot of time learning seemingly pointless spells, but now, he was discovering ways to use the knowledge he had gained. His new book taught him how to convert knowledge to power.

He was very careful to make sure that no one noticed that he had been practicing such spells. In class he continued his pattern of charming his fourth year textbooks to look like the first year books, and he just read ahead. Whenever he was called upon, he indifferently performed what was asked of him, and continued his advanced reading. During the pointless and boring classes, he zoned out and worked on organizing his mind. That way, he was usually doing something productive in classes, and everyone would see his indifference and think he was one of those children who were smart, but lacked the motivation to do more, and would instead just coast along. He wanted everyone to assume that he didn't study outside of classes, and just got by off of his brain. He was the epitome of brilliant but lazy, and more than one teacher shook their head, muttering about how they hoped in future years he would put in more effort, and how such potential was wasted upon such a child. No one would imagine that Harry actually was almost fanatical about gaining knowledge. That was exactly the way Harry wanted it to be.

On Halloween, he realised that he might have taken his act one step too far. It had occurred during Transfiguration, when he received an offer he wished to turn down.

He was sitting in the back row, lazily flipping through his book, when he noticed that class had ended. He got up made his way out, chuckling at a barbed comment that Draco threw at the Weasel, when McGonagall called his name.

"Mr. Potter, may I have a word," she asked.

"Sure," Harry said, his voice devoid of any enthusiasm.

"Alone," she stressed, motioning at Draco and Hermione, who had both stuck by the door to listen. Harry chuckled at them, and nodded to Draco. Hermione left with a huff.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I have often been told that students react in the best manner when I am direct, so I will get straight to the point. Your practical work in Transfiguration is near perfect, but your written work is… poorly written, and very rushed, although you are generally correct as far as your points are concerned. May I ask why you put hardly any time into constructing your essays? I mean, it is clear to me that if you put more effort into your work, your essays would be outstanding. Is there some reason that you don't apply yourself as much as you could?"

Harry groaned silently. "Well, I was under the impression that 'E' level essays, with 'O' level course work were sufficient to get an 'O' in the class, provided I do well on the exam, which I am quite sure I will. If I can learn the material well, what reason is there for me to spend a minute more than necessary composing essays about proper wand movements and technique? Isn't it better to just practice them?"

"I have been teaching for a long time… and I have found that essays are a good way for students to learn certain types of material. However, you clearly learn the material in a different way than the average student does. Perhaps you would care to elaborate on how exactly you are so proficient with the material, when you put the least amount of effort possible into my class?" McGonagall asked, her tone getting a little stricter. It was clear she wanted a no nonsense answer.

Of course, Harry never gave people exactly what they wanted, unless he had a good reason to do so. "Well… the material isn't hard. I don't put in any effort because there is really no reason for me to, since the material is easy enough that I can get it my first try."

"So you are telling me you are naturally talented in the fields of Transfiguration?"

"I am telling you that the course is too easy."

"It is easy for you, but not for the other students. Why is that?" she asked.

"Is this some sort of interrogation?"

"Mr. Potter, this is merely an attempt on my behalf to reach out to you and assist you. If the course work is too easy, then perhaps I can provide you with some more challenging material. Every student has different needs, and as a teacher, it is my duty to cater to each student the best I can. By answering my questions, I can understand you better, and that will help me teach you. I have a feeling that you have learned nothing new this year. I can change that," she said firmly.

"I don't want help," Harry said. "If I get the urge to learn more, I'll do so myself." He got up to leave, but McGonagall halted him.

"Harry, you must see over your arrogance on this issue. You are a very gifted wizard. Do not let that potential go to waste. You know that I can teach you more than you can learn on your own. In all modesty, you will be hard pressed to find someone more knowledgeable in the field of Transfiguration, save for one Albus Dumbledore."

His eyes narrowed as she called him by his first name, and they narrowed further when she mentioned Albus Dumbledore. "So what exactly are you saying?" Harry asked in a bored tone. He had a nasty feeling that this was some attempt to put him back on the path that Dumbledore had constructed for him. He had no wish to sign up for Advanced Transfiguration and receive pro-Dumbledore propaganda.

"Allow me to teach you. It will be as if you are an unofficial apprentice," McGonagall said. "I have never seen a child as gifted in the field that I teach. I truly believe that with the instruction that I can provide, you will be truly an exceptional wizard."

Harry groaned; if he said no, he would come across as very rude, as she was making him a very generous offer. But if he said yes, she would undoubtedly try to pry into his life even more, and he would find it hard to conceal the extent of his knowledge. Right now, Harry Potter was a mystery. He wanted it to stay that way, at least until he was powerful enough to stand on his own. Everything she found out about him would undoubtedly be relayed to Dumbledore, and the less Dumbledore knew, the better.

"I'm afraid I cannot accept, Professor, though I thank you for the offer. Perhaps in the future, if the offer is still there, I may accept."

To say that McGonagall was shocked would be an understatement. "But… why, if I may ask?"

"You may ask. I'm sure you have noticed I do not enjoy putting time into this class outside of class. That is the honest truth; I have no wish to spend extra time on my studies. Perhaps when I am older, that may change, but for now, I am content with myself."

"Mr. Potter, I often wonder if you have some grievance against me. I have not asked why exactly you are so curt with me. Now I am asking."

Harry refrained from telling her that he detested Dumbledore, and since she was Dumbledore's enforcer, he really wanted to distance himself from her as well. "No professor, I have nothing against you. I simply am content with myself right now, and have no desire to change."

"A very un-Slytherin quality," she observed. "Surely that is not the full truth…"

"Believe what you want, Professor. The fact of the matter is that I must refuse your offer, at least for now. Good day," Harry said, as politely as he could be.

McGonagall frowned. Most students would not turn their back on her in the middle of a conversation, but then again, since when was Harry Potter a normal student?

Was Harry Potter truly a slacker with no ambition? Was he only fueled by the desire to mock others, spend time with his pureblood friends, and act superior? She didn't buy that for a minute. She sighed; she wanted answers, and he had simply refused to give them, as if he was perfectly aware of the fact that she wanted answers, and enjoyed denying her.

The whole purpose of her proposal was so that she could steer Harry in a direction in which his parents would have wanted. Dumbledore had wanted her to figure out the boy's secrets, but that was never her main agenda. True, she was very curious, and it rankled her to no end whenever the boy dodged her questions, but she truly wanted to simply teach Harry. Of course, she wanted to teach him a bit more than Transfiguration. Knowledge wasn't enough, she mused. One needed moral fiber and good judgment. The Malfoys had taught him neither. One day Harry Potter would grow up, and someone had to make sure he didn't grow in the wrong direction, as he seemed to be doing right now.

Tears of fury and sadness streamed down her face. She violently swiped at her eyes, so no one would see the tears and realise she had heard them, laughing at her, mocking her, and ridiculing her every habit behind her back. Oh how she hated this school! The one person who she thought might be her friend, went behind her back and insulted her. She saw his face light up with a smile as his friends laughed at his joke. That was all she was to him; he used her to save his grades, but that was not all he used her for. When she wasn't looking, he boosted his popularity by causing hers to plummet.

What group in the school would accept her? The Slytherins and Gryffindors spat upon her. Society looked down upon her kind. There was only one person who supported her and went out of her way to lend assistance, and that person was McGonagall. McGonagall had talked to her last week, and they discussed how one Harry Potter made her feel like dirt. They discussed how she only wanted to help her peers, but they rejected her. Hermione opened up, and told her how sometimes she wished she was a Muggle, because ignorance could be bliss. She often closed her eyes and saw herself back in her Muggle School, where people would talk to her. She was never popular, but she did have a few friends, who liked her just how she was. McGonagall sympathised with her, saying that she was especially galled by the behavior of Harry Potter. The two of them talked about possible solutions to the problem.

But what could McGonagall do? Hermione had figured out very quickly that it was impossible to faze Potter. The boy was so annoyingly perfect, yet so horribly flawed. It made her want to scream. She hated him, yet she was jealous. Imagine, if she could have been the daughter of two prominent wizards… What if she was the one with eyes and hair that made the opposite sex sigh? Then no one would ridicule her habits. If she was just a bit different, she would be loved instead of hated. She would have everything instead of nothing.

This simply made her cry more. How could she even think along this train of thought? She loved her parents and wouldn't trade them for anything. What was Hogwarts doing to her? Were her only two choices to become the googly-eyed girl that society said she should be? Then would they accept her? How much did the world want from her and what would they give in return. Was her identity the price she must pay for acceptance?

She wiped brutally at her eyes. What was wrong with her? Why was she even asking herself these questions?

She had reached an all time low, and she had no one to turn to, except McGonagall, who couldn't really do anything. Still, McGonagall said to come to her if she ever got down, so that was what Hermione resolved to do. Right before the feast, Hermione began to walk to McGonagall's office, wondering how she would survive seven more years of hell.

"Hello, Miss Granger, how are you today?" McGonagall said welcomingly. "Take a biscuit or two."

"I'm fine, Professor… I just… well, you told me to come to you if I ever felt really down again," Hermione mumbled.

"Hmm, then I suppose 'fine' isn't really the adjective we are dealing with then. Was it Mr. Potter again?"

"No… R-Weasley. Professor, I just don't understand, why does everyone have a specific thing they hate about me? I just tried to help him again!"

"No one hates you, Hermione. I, for one, am proud of you. You should not worry about what fools like Weasley think. I would suggest you simply ignore him. You have strengths that he doesn't, and he is jealous. Of course, he will never admit that, not even to himself, but I can see it. Mr. Potter… is a different case. I am still working on that. Know that you are not the only student he picks on, and there is nothing wrong with you as a person. I just wish he would take the time to see that."

"Thank you, Professor, but I just can't deal with it all anymore. I mean, the two of them are turning the whole school against me. It is getting to be too much… is there any other magical schools out there?"

"Hermione. Please, just give it time. Here, I have a suggestion for you. You are a student who is gifted academically, but certain forces in the school are working against you. I will try to work for you, as is my job as a teacher. I believe you have the correct mindset to be an extremely talented and accomplished witch, and I believe I can help you on your path. I would like make an offer. Would you like me to teach you extra Transfiguration, beyond the scope of the class?"

Hermione was speechless. "You mean… really?" she squeaked.

"I am serious, Hermione. I know that you have the motivation and mindset to succeed and benefit from extra lessons. We can meet, say, twice a week, for an hour. That will also give us time to talk about any issues, concerning your situation. Do you agree then?"

"Merlin… yes, Professor." Hermione beamed. She may never have friends or acceptance among her peers, but one thing was for sure: she would overtake Harry Potter if it was the last thing she did.

Quirrell ran into the Great Hall, a look of terror plastered across his face, screaming "Troll! Troll in the dungeons!"

Dumbledore shot up quickly, taking charge of the situation and telling all professors to head to the dungeons, while prefects escorted their students to the dormitories.

Harry and his friends were in the process of heading to the Slytherin dorms, when Harry noticed that his Head of House was striding off to the staircases. He thought he saw Quirrell off in the distance. He tapped Draco's shoulder and pointed.

"Let's follow," Draco said. "They're up to something, and this is our chance to figure out what it is!"

"Are you sure…" Blaise said doubtfully. He was a true Slytherin in that self-preservation was always foremost on his mind.

"Yeah, let's go!" Harry said, already heading to the staircases. "C'mon!" he hissed. _Vasuki, sneak ahead and try to catch up to Quirrell_ _and Snape._

The European Asp Viper hissed affirmatively and changed the color of his scales to the brown wood of the stairs, allowing him to sneak ahead without being noticed.

The four Slytherins were about to enter the corridor, when Vasuki hissed a warning, telling Harry to stay back.

Harry halted his friends, and as silently as possible, they moved against the wall and listened.

"Pathetic fool! Do you really think that I would be fooled by your little diversion? Do you really think that a pathetic squib like yourself is worthy to wield the Stone?" an oily voice sneered.

Snape was holding Quirrell by the collar, and pointing his wand directly at the man's next.

"Severus, you fool! Let me go! You know not what you are dealing with!" Quirrell said, the stutter gone.

"Pray, tell me, am I dealing with anything more than a stuttering, greedy professor?"

"Yes, insolent fool. Mark my words Severus, you will step aside, or suffer the consequences," The man in the turban said angrily.

"Quirinus, do you know what would happen to me if you stole the Stone? Dumbledore would come after me. I would have to flee Hogwarts, and that is something I have no desire to do. I have painstakingly over the years gained Dumbledore's trust, and I have no desire to lose it, unless there is a great gain to be gotten by betraying him. Now, what can you offer me that would be worth that price?" Snape said in a low voice. "Nothing, and that is why the Stone must remain where it is. You do not want to put me in a position where I am forced to hurt you."

Voldemort was ready to explode with anger. In his weakened state, he couldn't simply blast Snape out of the way. He considered telling Snape the truth concerning Quirrell, but he was not sure that Snape remained loyal. "Severus, I suggest you stay out of my way in the future," Quirrell said, turning on his heel and stalking away.

_RUN, Harry, he is coming your way!_ Vasuki hissed.

Harry and the Slytherins shot down the stairs, as quickly and silently as possible. Luckily Snape attempted to stop Quirrell, which gave the four enough time to evacuate.

Back at the dungeons, the quartet found a secluded corner and discussed what they had seen.

"Merlin… this stone they are after must be pretty powerful," Blaise said.

"Does anyone know what stone we are dealing with?" Daphne asked. "Maybe… it's a huge diamond or something that is worth millions of Galleons?"

"No, I don't think so. I mean, I'm sure it is extremely valuable, since Snape called Quirrell 'greedy' for wanting it, but I have a feeling that whatever is being guarded has some sort of dark power," Harry said frowning in thought. "Maybe it boosts magical power…"

"…Which is why Snape called Quirrell 'unworthy'," Draco said. "Maybe Snape has a plan to get it, and doesn't want Quirrell interfering." 

"That is certainly a possibility," Harry pointed out. "I wish we knew more about Snape. We have no idea where his alliances lie… only that he says he is pretending to be on Dumbledore's side. So what we have to do is find out what the stone is, who wants it, and why they want it."

"Are you absolutely sure that we need to get involved?" Blaise asked. "If it gets stolen, then it's just Dumbledore's headache."

"Blaise, we can't do that because what if the person that gets it uses it against us? The two people who we suspect are Snape and Quirrell, and both of them are expert Legilimens. And Quirrell… gives me a weird feeling. I don't trust either of them, despite the fact that Snape seems to have finally accepted the fact that I exist. Plus… once we find out what exactly the stone does, who knows, maybe we will want it for ourselves."

"So how do we proceed? I think researching powerful magical artifacts in recent history might be useful," Daphne commented.

"I'll have a chat with Hagrid," Harry said. Perhaps Hagrid could give them the clue they needed. _Vasuki, I have a task for you. Would you guard the trapdoor? If you can find a spot that is out of sight, and where the dog notice you, that is. I don't want you to put yourself in a dangerous position. _

_I believe I can find a way, Harry,_ his faithful snake replied.

"Alright, so we have the corridor under surveillance. Blaise, do you think you could keep an eye on the Gryffindors? They know about the dog too, and I think they will keep digging. I don't think they know anything, but if they do…"

"Okay, I can do that," Blaise answered.

"Draco, you're on research duty with Daphne. Have fun."

"What the hell, Harry! I can't _research_," Draco said, saying the last word as if it burned his tongue.

"If you can think of something more productive to do…" Harry trailed off.

Draco thought for a moment, and then replied, "Fine. Only this once."

Daphne frowned at him, but didn't say anything. Finally, she said, "You and Harry always seem to be researching something or the other, I don't see what the problem is."

Harry groaned. "Err… we were just studying extra…"

"But not in the library?" Blaise prompted.

Harry knew that his friends would notice their constant disappearances. Harry didn't want to tell them that he had been studying Dark Magic, but he had to tell them something. "We were just continuing the studying we did over summer," Harry said.

Draco nodded, "We didn't bother you about it because you two didn't seem like the type to over-study, like us."

Harry hoped they didn't think that he was excluding them because he didn't want to waste his time to bring them up to speed. That was… part of the truth; Harry and Draco had learned a year or two of material more than Blaise and Daphne, and although Blaise and Daphne were smart, they would take at least a year of extra studying to catch up with Draco and Harry. On top of that, Lucius had ordered Harry and Draco alone to learn from the book, and if the two failed to make sufficient progress because they had to spend their time getting Blaise and Daphne caught up, Lucius wouldn't be thrilled.

Then there was the fact that Harry absolutely could not have the secret getting out, and it was a known fact that the more people who know, however loyal, the greater the chance of others finding out. Anyway, Harry was still getting to know the other two. Draco could be immature at times, but he was still a brother in all but blood to Harry, and Harry trusted him and knew that Draco would take the operation seriously.

"Okay, we should probably get some sleep…" Daphne said, yawning.

Harry and Draco went to the Shrieking Shack again to work on the Slicing Curse, a more powerful version of the Cutting Curse. It was classified as Dark by the Ministry, but as Harry sometimes joked, everything that could be used to save one's life in a combat situation was classified as Dark. The Wizarding World assigned too many labels… it was as if the population needed everything to be categorized. Every person had to define words like dark and light for themselves, not adopt someone else's viewpoint. Of course, the idea that he himself had yet to create his own firm ideas flew right over his head.

Harry did know that what he was learning would help him against Dumbledore and Voldemort. Right now, it appeared that neither was an imminent threat, but Harry had foresight, and he believed that they would one day they would be threats. It was a known fact that power won allies and defeated enemies, and there was no denying that what he was learning from his new book was powerful, so Harry threw himself into practice.

Draco, wanting to keep up with Harry, brought his full efforts to the table as well. He knew that Harry was more powerful than him; he had known ever since they were children, and Harry had a level of control over his accidental magic spells. He had known when it was revealed that Harry was somehow a Metamorphmagus, whereas he, the son of a Metamorphmagus, had not received the gift. Perhaps his powers would come into their own when he matured, but for now, Draco knew that he was only above average, whereas Harry was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Rather than jealousy, Draco struggled to keep up with Harry, knowing that at least he would be the second most powerful. He knew that what Harry was learning would be very useful one day when he was the Head of the Malfoy family. One thing that Draco had learned was that both he and Harry had a complicated world out there on the horizon, and the more they prepared now, the better they would fare. Draco was a Slytherin through and through, and pragmatism was a trait that ran in his blood. It simply made practical sense to work with his companion.

Meanwhile, Hermione shut herself off from the world of Gryffindors who treated her as if she was a pest. She completely ignored Harry and his crew. She fully threw herself into her studies, more than she had ever done before. She was filled with a burning determination. If they wanted to call her a know-it-all, then so be it; she would learn all she could, but she wouldn't help them. She would, so to speak, know it all, and knowing it all would one day benefit her. They would have their sub par grades, while she would be the best student in Hogwarts, and after that, find a nice, successful job. She would show them all! With McGonagall's help, she would catch up with Potter and prove that she wasn't inferior because her parents were Muggles. She wouldn't waste time trying to make friends anymore; she had realized that all people had their strengths and weaknesses, and her strength lay in the mental field, not in the social field. Was it not best to be the smartest, most powerful witch rather than the most-loved witch? That's what she kept telling herself, day after day, when she felt the sting of cruel words upon her ears. She just kept trying to convince herself that she didn't care; that she had what mattered.

She had made a decision not to give up anything for their acceptance. It felt nice to think that she was the one choosing not to accept them because they were too mean or stupid, rather than them not accepting her. It felt nice to think that she was the one moving forward, and the people around her were stagnant pools headed nowhere. It felt nice to pretend that she was perfectly content with what she saw in the mirror.


	5. Chapter 5: Seeking Answers

**5. Seeking Answers**

It was November 3rd, and Harry was in his dark green and silver Quidditch robes, riding on his Nimbus 2000. Slytherin was playing Gryffindor today, and Harry had been told by his jolly captain that if he didn't catch the snitch, an 'accident' would happen, and he would find himself unable to walk. Harry wasn't overly concerned; the Gryffindor Seeker was rather pathetic anyway. Plus, Snape had told the older Slytherins not to harm him, so Harry was safe in broad daylight, when others were watching. If they tried anything when no one was looking, Harry would make sure to let them meet Vasuki.

Harry scanned the field, a grim look on his face. He knew that any problems the team would have would probably be a result of the three Gryffindor chasers, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie, outplaying the Slytherin chasers. The Weasley twins could be problematic; they knew how to beat a bludger, and they hated Harry. Their job would be made easier by the fact that Bole and Derrick wouldn't be very enthusiastic about protecting Harry.

Harry hovered high as the match started, knowing that he could take very quick dips if needed. Angelina managed to score almost immediately, grabbing the Quaffle and dodging Montague's lumbering figure. Luckily Madam Hooch didn't see that Montague was aiming for her head with his fist.

Bole and Derrick were fair beaters, possessing a strength that the twins lacked. Unfortunately, they weren't able to improvise and come up with strategies as the twins did, and Gryffindor took a 50-20 lead as they kept the Slytherin beaters and one chaser busy with bludgers. Harry groaned; the Gryffindor chasers were agile and able to dodge the brutal tactics of the Slytherins. The strategy of being rough only worked if the enemy was intimidated… or incapacitated.

Harry decided to descend and lend a hand. He immediately shot into a dive, and the Weasley twins stopped aiming at Flint and smacked the bludgers at Harry viciously. This allowed Flint, who had the Quaffle, to zoom up the field.

Harry leveled off and then shot towards Oliver Wood, who was an annoyingly good keeper. Harry knew that he had two bludgers on his tail, so he shot right past the right hoop, causing Wood to dodge towards the left hoop. While Harry wasn't able to get the bludger to plow into Wood, it did force Wood into the left area, allowing Flint to score through the right hoop, making the score 70-30, in favor of Gryffindor.

Harry then arched up and shot towards the sky. The Weasleys lopped the bludgers after him, but Harry avoided them, and let the Bludgers shoot past him, putting the annoying blobs out of anyone's reach for a bit of time. Katie was nearing the Slytherin goalpost, but she was cut off by Montague, who brutally forced the Quaffle out of her hands. Harry once again shot towards Wood, but this time, the Weasleys knew better than to aim for him. Harry veered off course, and Montague was unable to score.

Harry arched around sharply, seeing a flitter of gold. He zoomed towards it like a madman, but then the snitch disappeared. Harry noticed that the Gryffindor Chaser was on his tail, so he did a Wronski Feint, zooming towards the grass, pretending that the snitch had simply dipped down instead of faded out. He brought himself up at the last moment, brushing against the ground, but then realised that the other seeker had chickened out many yards above him and simply stopped. Harry groaned and twisted and turned to avoid the bludgers he could see coming. He would have to work on the move.

Finally, when the score was 100-40, Harry saw the snitch hovering by the Gryffindor goalpost. Instead of going directly to the Snitch, which would force him to go through a maelstrom of bludgers and brooms, he made a long graceful curve, which had the advantage of not looking like the flight of a seeker who had seen the Snitch. Harry past the goalposts, but then cut back sharply, his hand outstretched, closing in on the snitch. He saw a bludger closing in on his shoulder blade, but he couldn't dodge it, because he was about to snag the snitch. He just angled himself so it would hit his other upper arm, which would hopefully not cause an injury.

Cheers, followed with disappointed boos from the Gryffindor end, echoed from the bleachers as Harry grabbed the snitch, and nearly lost his hold on his broom when his arm flared up in pain. The impact nearly caused him to change his course, but finally he steadied himself and made a clean landing. His arm hurt like hell, but he didn't think anything was broken. Luckily it had been a glancing blow, not a direct collision.

He looked at the rest of his team, who were staring at him with wide eyes, but frowns.

"Well, we won, that's what matters," Flint began. "Practice tomorrow…"

"You lot have a lot to work on," Harry said dryly after they moved to their dugout. "Do you think for this next stretch of practices, you can actually work as a team instead of trying to rough me up?"

Harry could practically hear the cogs in their brains working, no doubt making a difficult decision of whether to admit that Harry saved them, or to continue trying to force him to quit the team, as they has been doing. "I'll leave you to think about it… or try to think about it. We both want Slytherin to win, and that won't happen if I decide to quit."

&(&(&(&#

"Nic olas Flamel…" Harry muttered under his breath. That was the clue that he received from Hagrid. It was a bit less than he had hoped for, but it was something. Hagrid had been a lot more guarded about the Stone and the dog, who Harry now knew was named Fluffy. So… some fellow named Nicolas Flamel was a key player in Dumbledore's operation. Harry planned to research the name in the library, and if that failed, owl home and ask.

While walking to the library, Harry mentally connected him familiar. _Vasuki, have you seen anyone?_

_No. No one has come up here in the past week. _

_Okay, I don't think you have to constantly watch the door. You should come back to my side. At the very least, I don't think anyone will be making another go at it until Christmas. _

_I can stay here, Harry. It is actually a fairly comfortable spot, and I only have to leave to hunt. Normally I would prefer to guard you, but we know that there will be another attempt sometime. _

_Okay… as long as you are content. _Harry replied.

He continued to the library, where he found Draco lazily flicking through a large book and Daphne carefully browsing the aisles for books on recent magical items.

"Have you two found anything?"

"Well, there are quite a few magical stones throughout history. Look, I've made a list of all the magical stones that seem very valuable."

"Hmm… Scrying Sapphire… Radagast's Ruby… Pyros Pearl…" Harry continued to read down the list. "These all sound like rare and powerful items… Do you know if any of these stones on the list have something in common with Nicolas Flamel?"

Daphne looked pensive. "No. Who is Nicolas Flamel?"

"Someone who is at the very least an acquaintance of Dumbledore. Hagrid said that 'what the dog is guarding in between Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel.'"

"Hmm… Nicolas Flamel… Flamel… it sounds familiar, but I can't place it. I think it would be best to look at some history books. Well, actually, now that I think about it, if we research these stones in detail, we can see if the name Flamel comes up for any of them," Daphne replied.

"Okay, Draco and I will look for books on Flamel, can you see if Flamel's name comes up under any of the stones?" Harry asked.

"Fine," she replied.

An hour or two later, Harry and Draco were bored out of their minds from looking for Flamel's name and finding nothing.

"Harry! Come look - Flamel!" Daphne exclaimed.

"Shh!" Harry said, looking around. "Okay, you found him?"

"Yeah, look. The Philosopher's Stone was created by Nicolas Flamel. Nicolas Flamel is some sort of Alchemist, and it says that he is over six hundred years old! The Philosopher's Stone gives the wielder Elixir of Life and can transmute metal into pure gold. I bet that is what is being hidden!" Daphne said excitedly.

"Immortality…" Harry said. "No wonder it is being kept so secret. Although Dumbledore must be a little off in the head to allow Hagrid to have such a role in guarding it…"

"So who is trying to steal it then? Who broke into Gringotts?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged. "That's next on our list of things to find out. Quirrell obviously knows about it and wants it, but he doesn't strike me as capable of pulling off a Gringotts break-in. Snape… doesn't want Quirrell to get it, although we don't know if he wants it for himself, or to wants to protect the stone so that he stays in Dumbledore's good books."

"…and it could be that someone independent of Snape or Quirrell wants the Philosopher's Stone," Daphne pointed out. "All of the Hogwarts professors know about it."

"And it could be that none of this really concerns us," said Blaise, who has approached them quietly.

Harry turned around. "We will only know that once we get enough information. Do you have anything to add that will help?"

"Yes, I trailed the Gryffindors, as you said. Ron and Hermione aren't speaking to each other anymore, and Ron seems to have forgotten about the third floor, because he is busy hanging out with Dean and Seamus."

"So they are off our tail, but they don't know anything either…" Harry trailed off.

"Right. So now what?" Blaise asked fairly unenthusiastically.

"Well you heard what we think is hidden. We have to decide whether or not to let it be, as you said, try to stop it from being stolen, or allow it to be stolen in a way that benefits us," Harry said.

"Or steal it ourselves," Draco said.

"Do you think you can incapacitate a thousand pound dog? And that's just Hagrid's part, imagine what the actual professors are doing. Plus, we would have Dumbledore, Snape, and Quirrell pissed off if we stole it, and for what? Gold? Immortality?"

"Better than someone else stealing it," Draco said. "Look, you're right that we can't steal it, but no one would suspect us if it went missing."

"I'll think about it," Harry said. "It is a last resort…"

"That's all I'm saying, Harry. You always tell us to have a backup plan…"

November ended as the quartet decided to tone down the intensity of the Philosopher's Stone investigation. McGonagall hadn't approached him again about the offer, and Harry was glad about that, because as time passed, he became more and more fond of studying in the Shrieking Shack, and spent less and less time on his actual schoolwork. Luckily, he didn't need to spend much time to scrape by, a fact that irritated many people. Flitwick as well had started to get on his back about putting more effort into his class. It was as if they were offended by what he appeared to stand for. Harry shrugged; he never had pangs about offending anyone. Also, this way they wouldn't think that he was actually studying a lot more than anyone his age… That was how he wanted it. He wouldn't appear weak, but he had also learned not to stick out his neck and receive attention.

That allowed him to proceed smoothly with his Shrieking Shack operation. He couldn't say that he didn't learn anything in school, because he was learning lots of stuff, just not in class. It was all so refreshing, working on his secret spells. He was constantly improving the range of spells he could cast and the power of each spell, and for some reason, that really satisfied him, even if his progress was slow. Dark Magic… he didn't understand how any of the things he had learned so far were evil. The magic was just a tool or a weapon, and it felt great to add new tools to his belt.

It was silly really. Anyone who had taken the time to think about it would realise that Dark Magic was just plain magic, consisting of Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense. The skills were the same; it wasn't as if was powering his spells with hate or anything; he was simply putting his skills in various subjects into spells that would amplify his power. For example, he was good with physical spells, like Bludgeoning Hexes and Cutting Curses. He had some skill in him that simply caused his physical spells to hit hard. One route of magic would teach him how to use his skill in physical spells, and one would suppress his skills, and make him hit softer. There really was no question, Harry thought as he waved his wand, causing an invisible fist to slam into the wall next to him, right where his enemy's solar plexus would be. How hard the spell hit was determined by his level of concentration, not anger… He wasn't fueling the spell with darkness, he was only fueling the spell with… himself.

The idea that he was doing something productive was a welcome one. He even grew tired of antagonizing the Gryffindors; they provided entertainment, but it seemed like if school was truly about petty altercations, then he was wasting his time. He could get twice as much studying done if he was at home, studying at his own pace. Was there something out there that Hogwarts had to offer that he just couldn't see? Was Britain all in love with Hogwarts because Britain consisted of fools who looked up to Dumbledore? Or was there some legitimate reason for the many claims he had heard of Hogwarts being the best magical school out there? Harry truly didn't know.

He had been extra careful to keep a low profile in classes now, reinforcing his image of the type of child who was blessed with a brain, but cursed with a laziness that would make that brain useless. He knew that he was being watched; he couldn't explain how exactly he knew this, but he just had a feeling that at the very least, some of the professors were keeping an eye on him. There had been a slight change in all of their behaviors, starting about a month ago. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he was sharp enough to realise that there was some level of communication in between the professors concerning him. That's why they all were trying kindly correct his sharp remarks and through in remarks about the equality of wizards. Sometimes it was very subtle, but at other times, Harry could clearly see the way that they were trying to refine him or something. It was a bit annoying, to say the least.

He didn't want to change his ways; he knew that he could be harsh, but he liked it that way. He knew who his friends were, and the rest could go to hell. He didn't want anyone to mess with his beliefs, whether they were illusions or true insights.

He just felt different, that was the core of the matter. How could he not? He had sat in Privet Drive when the damned Wizarding World partied. He grown up thinking that he was worthless, and then in one glorious day, he had learned that he was the opposite of worthless. One man had snapped his fingers and made a decision, and he had suffered needlessly for five years. Harry lost his mother, while Ron happily suckled on his mother's breast. Dumbledore was praised as a visionary, while Dumbledore had done nothing but use once-fine men like his parents. Harry lost almost everything that night, but… perhaps he truly lost his parents when Dumbledore filled their mind with his agenda.

For years, the Wizarding World had been inching in the wrong direction, under the guidance of Dumbledore. Ron… Hermione… they were all products of Dumbledore's tampering and schemes. He, Harry, was almost the product of the machine that Dumbledore engineered for his generation. It made him sick. Luckily the Malfoys had managed to escape Dumbledore's new world and Harry was saved from becoming the spitting image of his parents. Luckily Dumbledore hadn't been able to make him into his perfect Gryffindor.

Perhaps that was why Harry instantly took a disliking to the Weasleys. They were once a family of power, never on the same field as the Malfoys, but solid in their own right. Then Dumbledore had reduced them, just as he reduced his parents, to drones, to followers. Ron represented all that he had heard of his father, whereas he, Harry, strived to represent all that his father could have been had he not walked into Dumbledore's machine. Perhaps that is why Harry resented the Muggleborns and Muggle-loving blood traitors; they represented what he was a finger away from becoming. They represented what he could have been had he not escaped Dumbledore's machine.

()#&)(&(#)&()#)(&()$(&# $)(#&$()&#$)(3

Harry was in the middle of a discussion with Daphne about Charms Theory, when Vasuki mentally spoke to him, speaking in an urgent tone. _Harry, I have observed Quirrell and Snape fighting again near the entrance. Quirrell was moving closer to the dog, but then Snape walked in. They argued like last time, but then the turban man locked the greasy one in the room with the dog. He is wounded on the leg._

_What? Snape and Quirrell fought? _Harry asked quickly. _Are you okay? _

_Yes. Quirrell was obviously going for the Stone, and Snape has been spying on Quirrell._ Vasuki stated.

_Should we come? _

_No, Harry. You cannot be seen there. _

_Okay, just… be careful, but try to make sure Quirrell doesn't get past the dog. Don't risk yourself though_. Harry did truly care about his snake; his most steadfast companion.

_I'm touched, Harry. Don't worry, I am very good at hiding. There is something not right about the turbaned one… I cannot place it…_Vasuki hissed mentally, and Harry could feel his familiar's unease.

_Can you sense the stone? _

_No, I cannot. _

_Damn. Do you have any ideas about what I can do? _Harry asked.

_Keep your head down and learn Occlumency. _Vasuki hissed.

Harry groaned. _I'm bloody trying… it's not my fault if Occlumency is the world's pettiest branch of magic. _

_But Harry, whatever happened to 'I'm going to do it if it's the last thing I do'_ Vasuki hissed, in a ridiculous impression of Harry.

_I am going to learn it… I've still been practicing… none of us can get it. What's strange is that Draco is making the same amount of progress as I am, but… I could be wrong, but it seems he is putting in less effort than I. I mean, he isn't progressing significantly faster, but… well, I did expect to be ahead of him in this aspect. _

_Perhaps your friend has a high level of mental control for his age. _Vasuki suggested. _I am afraid that I was born with the natural ability to protect my mind, so I cannot help you. _

_I figured out that you didn't have the brains to help me a while ago, Vasuki, _Harry muttered cheekily.

_Only God can help you, child, _Vasuki muttered.

_Enough…_ Harry muttered. _I have to go to class. Or sit in class and read whatever I please…_

Harry continued to read his secret textbooks throughout History of Magic, Transfiguration, DADA, and Charms, piping up only to make a nasty comment here or there. He couldn't help it; he just figured that if he had to listen to someone rant about material he had learn a year ago, he might as well entertain himself in the process. Plus, he was paying tuition to attend Hogwarts, why should he not learn something? This way, it did not appear as if he was learning things far beyond the pitiful scope of a first-year class, but he actually was.

Of course, there had been attempts to try and figure out exactly how much he knew. One of these attempts occurred during his Charms class, when he had been sitting in the back, discreetly passing notes with Draco, concerning Quirrell's latest attempt.

"_Accio_ Note," Flitwick said sharply.

Harry cursed himself for being so stupid. He took out his wand and muttered an incantation, causing the note to disappear in a small snap of fire, and fall to the ground as ashes. "Terribly sorry, Professor, I think my wand must have just malfunctioned there, not sure how the fire appeared. Accidental magic, I think."

"Mr. Potter," the short professor squeaked. "What was in that note that you so desperately needed to hide?"

"Professor, forgive me, but it was nothing. I just got a bit shocked and my accidental magic lashed out."

"I want an answer, Potter, or I am afraid I will have to deduct points."

"I was, ahem, telling Draco that we were going to trounce the claws in the next Quidditch match, sir. I believe the exact note was a copy of your seeker, Chang, crashing into a--"

"Enough! Ten points from Slytherin. Mr. Potter, I expect you to always contribute your full efforts to class in the future."

"I understand."

"And how did you perform an Incineration Curse that worked so fast? Perhaps you could try again… on this sheet of paper?"

"Well, Professor, in all honesty, it was actually a normal Blue-bell, that I botched up. See here…" Harry cast the Blue Bell Flames hex on the piece of paper and let it slowly consume the piece of paper. The flames were a fairly easy spell that most first years could get with a little bit of practice and it looked similar to the Incineration Curse he had used.

"Well, I am afraid that even if you used that hex, I will have to deduct fifteen more points for casting a spell without permission, in the vicinity of other students. And another twenty points for writing such an egregious note that you think it necessary to keep away from my eye at all costs."

"I'm sorry, Professor, both for the note and for my improper spell casting."

"See that it doesn't happen again."

Harry nodded. Damn it, he had really messed up. He noted not to pass notes in class anymore. He thought he had been discreet enough about it, but apparently Flitwick had a sharper eye than one would imagine. He had a nasty feeling that on top of that, Flitwick wasn't buying his story about the curse he used.

Ten minutes later, Flitwick called upon Harry. "So, Miss Greengrass just demonstrated how to charm an object to blow to the side. We have learned in the past month how to levitate and manipulate simply objects, but there is actually one spell that we can cast that allows us to control the motion of an object with more precision, and move it in any direction, instead of only up, down and to the sides. Does anyone know this charm?"

Harry looked up sharply. That was, at the very least, a third year spell.

"Mr. Potter, did I see you raising your hand?" the short professor squeaked.

"Nope, I have no idea."

"Oh, but you do look as though you know something, perhaps you can take a stab at it…"

"Oh…" Harry exhaled. He knew perfectly well what spell Flitwick was referring to, and it was bloody obvious that the pipsqueak was digging for information. "Well, I would guess that you cast both spells at the same time."

Flitwick looked disappointed. "Well, anyway, your homework is to read pages…"

So Flitwick was obviously in on the revealing Harry plan, which was most likely headed by Dumbledore. It was funny, because he had never met the man… and he had no desire to. It would be an awkward first meeting.

Flitwick and McGonagall were the two who contributed the most effort into this plan. In Herbology, he didn't really stick his neck out, since he hadn't studied the subject before Hogwarts. In Astronomy and Herbology, he did have to pay some attention because he would be given exams on the subjects at the end of the year. While he was pretty sure he could have just crammed all of the material in at the end of the year, he knew that if he was called upon in class, he wouldn't be able to gab his way out of trouble, and would end up losing points for Slytherin. A pleasant side effect of keeping his neck down was that the teachers didn't try to pry.

Snape was treating Harry like a normal Slytherin, but no more than that. They built their relationship on the basis of Harry making perfect potions, and giving Snape opportunities to deduct points from Gryffindor. Harry was hoping to get more clues about why seemed to dislike him strongly at first, but he had no complaints this way. Of course, he was very suspicious of Snape, due to the issues revolving around a certain stone and a certain man in a turban, but for what it was worth, Lucius approved of Snape, and Snape didn't seem to be trying to push Harry in the same direction that McGonagall and Flitwick were.

Harry sighed, thinking that at least Christmas was coming up. The Malfoys had invited Blaise, Daphne, and their respective families to Malfoy Manor. It would surely be a grand affair, and it would be interesting to meet the families, provided that they chose to attend. He would have a short break that he could fill with relaxation, Quidditch, and hanging out with his friends. Of course, studying from his dark book had become a daily practice, and he would not be postponing his studies.

The last stretch of school grew fairly dull. Harry enjoyed it this way — Vasuki was reporting no activity on the third floor, his professors were watching him closely but not interfering, and Harry spent his free time playing Quidditch, practicing Occlumency, and sneaking to the Shrieking Shack. He did have to spend a little time on his homework, and he tried to help Blaise and Daphne with theirs so that the two wouldn't feel left out. They had become friends, but not great friends, seeing as to how Harry, intentionally or unintentionally, was progressively pouring more time into studying ahead. Sometimes he felt bad, and would take an afternoon off to play chess with the two, but he knew that the quartet wouldn't be built on the same foundation of friendship that groups of gossiping girls or boys like Ron and his friends were. He was hoping to get to know Daphne and Blaise a lot better when they came to stay at Malfoy Manor over Christmas.

On the first week of December, Harry was walking outside in the snow. He was actually headed to Hagrid's House, with a plan to talk to Hagrid about what he saw during that Halloween. Of course, he didn't plan to open the conversation in that manner, but Harry was determined to find out exactly what happened that night. Voldemort had murdered his parents and tried to kill him, but who had come with Voldemort? Who had been there to carry Harry out of the crumbling house? Lucius didn't know… and Harry was pretty sure Dumbledore wouldn't tell him. Hell, that was another part of the problem. Dumbledore orchestrated the events that came after Voldemort's attack. Dumbledore obviously ordered Hagrid to take him to the Dursleys, but there was a possibility that Dumbledore had a greater role in the tragedy. Was this man who carried Harry out of the crumbling ruins one of Dumbledore's men? What if there had been another key player in the attack? There was clearly more to the murders than Harry had been told, and Hagrid was one of the only people who could clue him in.

He shuddered; he had to know exactly what happened that night. It burned at him… simply the idea that Dumbledore was hiding something from him. It was clear that Dumbledore didn't want him to question the story about his parents' death, so naturally, Harry had to question the story he had been told. There was definitely more to the story than James and Lily hiding, and Voldemort finding them. Plus, whatever his parents were, he couldn't suppress his urge to know more about them.

Harry trudged through the snow and knocked on the door, putting on a friendly face. Dealing with Hagrid had become easy once Harry had learned how to wear the right mask.

"Come in, Harry! Glad ter see that ye dropped in," Hagrid said welcomingly. Harry reciprocated the smile, but groaned when he noticed that Hagrid's hut had gotten even messier than it was when Harry visited last.

"Hello Hagrid. Fang's looking well as usual," Harry said.

"Heh, he's a lazy dog really. How're ye doing?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm doing alright, not great."

"I hope yer not getting bogged down by schoolwork?" Hagrid asked.

"No it's not that… it just seems to me that everywhere I go to find out more about my parents, I meet a dead end. Okay, so I look like them, that's nice to know, but I… don't know who they were," Harry said sadly, his emotions in his eyes.

"And ye were hoping that Hogwarts would be providing ye with answers?" Hagrid prompted.

"Well, they spent one third of their lives in here…" Harry said, emphasizing the 'one third'.

Hagrid winced. "I suppose so. Well, I've told ye how they were Head Girl and Boy… let's see, your mother graduated with top marks… she was recruited by St. Mungo's, but she turned them down, saying that she wanted ter become an Auror. She was good at Charms and Potions, but she felt she had to help out. The only person who could've changed her mind was James, but he had been wantin' to be an Auror ever since his fifth year, I think. It was his dream, ye know, to fight… You-Know-Who."

Harry sighed inwardly. Of course, his parents had been steered away from respectable jobs because some old heroic twat made them feel obligated to fight for him. Perhaps they genuinely wanted to fight Voldemort, but if that was the case, then they were fools to have followed Dumbledore's commands. It wasn't that… Harry was ashamed of them. He just wished that they would have been more neutral… more pragmatic. Harry hated Voldemort because he killed his parents, but why did his parents hate Voldemort? Harry suppressed a sigh; it was because Dumbledore had taught them to hate Voldemort, "What about their friends? I heard that my parents were popular…"

"Well, they were good friends with Frank and Alice Longbottom… Aurors, ye know. Lily was a year behind Narcissa, and they were on good terms, I think."

Harry filed that piece on information in the back of his mind, deciding to bring it up later. "Any other friends? What about my dad?"

"Well, he was… well, he did get on decently with Arthur Weasley, who was a few years ahead of him… let's see…"

Harry eyed Hagrid closely. Looking into the man's bearded face, Harry could see that same look of hesitance that Hagrid wore when he was trying to keep something hidden. "I suppose you're not allowed to tell me who my father's friends are. It's just hard… not knowing anything about them, and having everyone telling me different things about them. I would just like to feel closer to them, you know?"

Harry's disheartened expression tore at Hagrid's heartstrings. "Well, Harry… I wish there was something more I could do. Ye know, I've spent a few years of my life looking for my mother. Never found 'er. We all wish we could feel closer to our loved ones…" Hagrid sighed. "Well, the fact of the matter is that your father's friends… well, they're not here right now, and don't ask me where they are, cause I cannot be telling ye, cause I don't know."

"Well, I heard that my father was a prankster… don't you know who he used to hang out with?" Harry asked. He was genuinely interested in the answer to this question. Of course, he was hoping this conversation would evolve in such a way that Hagrid would end up giving Harry a bit of information about the Halloween night, but he was also interested in learning more about his parents. Many people painted his parents as the epitome of heroism, but others, like Lucius and Narcissa, said they were good people, but with faults.

Lucius had said that James and Lily were brave, smart, and powerful, but their deaths were a tragedy, nothing more. They were made into heroes because that was what the world needed; heroes. They didn't want to be martyrs, but that was what they were turned into.

'_Harry, if they knew that the war would separate you from them, they never would have gotten so involved. By the time you were born, they were in too deep; they were Dumbledore's lead enforcers, and sometimes I wonder if Dumbledore was responsible for turning them into the great martyrs, just as you were turned into a hero. Nobody wanted it to turn out this way; that I promise. Actually, I am afraid that is not the truth… I'm afraid there were people who were thrilled that they had someone to suffer for them, so they would be spared of suffering…' _Harry shook his head, clearing away Lucius's words.

"Why yes he was," Hagrid chuckled. "Him and Black…gave us hell… those two were inseparable."

"Mmhmm." _Black? _

"Uhhuh, right, James had a few friends… many of them worked together on pranks. Of course, they were always good students too, ye know, just like I hear you are. Brilliant, but not inclined to spend too much time studying. Yeah, James hung around Frank Longbottom and Bert Macmillian as well," Hagrid jabbered quickly, not meeting Harry in the eye.

"But his best friend was someone named Black? You don't mean as in Narcissa Black, do you?"

"I shouldn' have told ye that..." Hagrid scolded himself. "Look, Harry, some… unpleasant things happened after Hogwarts, and I'm not thinkin' that ye should be worryin' too much over this, alright?"

"Of course, Hagrid. I was just curious. I suppose it just makes me feel closer to them when I learn more about them…" Harry pulled on the lonely face. "Well, thank you Hagrid. The biscuits were great by the way…"

"Next time I can make you some cake, I don't think you have tried that. Well, ye had best be getting back to your dorm now, Harry. Come round whenever ye want, okay?"

"Sure Hagrid. Thanks." Harry left, the wheels spinning wildly in his head. He made a detour to the library and wrote a quick letter to Narcissa, asking about James's best friends, who had the last name of Black.

Harry returned to his dormitory, practiced Occlumency with his friends, and then went out to the Shrieking Shack. He wasn't really putting his full mind into his work today.

_Hmm… so something unpleasant happened with James and his friends. Hagrid has been forbidden to talk about it… just like he is forbidden to talk about the Halloween night, and the Philosopher's Stone. _Even if there was no connection between his parents' friends and the attack, there was definitely some sort of mystery revolving around his father's friends and this Black, and if Dumbledore didn't want Harry to know about it, then naturally Harry meant to find out everything that he could, as soon as possible.

"Harry, hello, we were working on the Cone of Cold Charm…" Draco said irritably.

"Right… okay, thrust wand forward… _Orbis Gelu. _" Harry said. A few snowflakes exited his wand in a small cone. "Okay, so essentially this spell shoots out frosty wind and small bits of ice in a cone. Again, the size and intensity of the cone depends on the power put into the spell…"

"_Orbis Gelu! _" Draco shouted, pointing his wand at Harry. A cold breeze went over Harry, but passed momentarily.

Harry spat out a snowflake. "Well, that would be useful in a duel. Let me try again… Orbis Gelu!" Harry held his wand a few feet away from Draco, and an icy mist shot out slowly. Harry channeled more energy into the spell, concentrating on continuing the stream of snowflakes, and shooting them faster.

Draco cursed and cast a Warming Charm upon himself. "Damn it, Harry, that was freezing! Still, if I wasn't right next to you, I wouldn't have been in the cone… I don't really see the purpose of this spell."

"If done properly and with enough power, the cone can be cold enough to freeze muscles and make your opponents numb. It can also reduce their visibility. The real reason we're learning it is so that we get practice with ice-based spells, so that we are eventually able to learn harder ones," Harry replied, basically putting the book into his own words. He had read _The Darker Side of Magic_ more than once or twice…

"Hmm. It doesn't really seem like dark magic… I mean, it can be used to cool someone down on a hot day," Draco said.

"It can also kill someone… and anything that can potentially kill someone is 'Dark Magic'" Harry said with a sneer. "Anyway, we have to learn it so that we can move on… let's do it at the same time at that wall."

They repetitively cast the spell onto the wall, until it was coated in a layer of frost. Harry sighed; knowing that one spell should have been able to coat the wall in frost, not five minutes worth of casting it. He knew this book was meant for those who had already finished their Hogwarts education, but he couldn't help but feel discouraged by the fact that he was making slower progress through this book than he had made through his other school books. Logically thinking, he shouldn't be frustrated, but he couldn't help but wish he was better… more powerful…

Soon they went back to their dorms, casting a charm behind them that would make sure they didn't leave footprints in the snow.

Harry was inside on the cold Saturday, warming up from a long Quidditch practice. Just as he was heading to the dungeons, he got a bright idea. Hagrid, along with a few others, had commented on the fact that his father was always causing trouble. When Hagrid let his guard down momentarily, he had mentioned that his father and Black used to 'give the teachers hell'. Harry knew from experience that Filch documented and archived every punishment and misdeed that he knew about and kept them in his office. His father would without doubt be recorded in there, along with his friends, allowing Harry to see who would get in trouble with his father. That was the way to find out who was the closest to his father; Harry got on well with most of the Slytherins, but his best friend was the one he schemed with and got into trouble with.

He didn't like how everyone ranted on about how wonderful his parents were. It was clearest in Hagrid; the massive man obviously picked and chose which people he would tell Harry about, most likely a result of Dumbledore wanting Harry to think that his father only hung around with Gryffindor saints. Harry wanted to know the truth; he wanted to know anything that Dumbledore didn't want him to know. He wanted to know their failings and faults. It seemed like there were some secrets revolving around his parents, that might or might not have a link to their deaths, and Harry meant to do some serious digging.

_Okay, Vasuki, can you help me with a little side project? _Harry asked.

_I suppose… what do you need? _Vasuki hissed.

_I need you to pretend to be a small, pathetic garden snake-_

_That will not be happening, _his familiar said.

_Listen! At night, the cat will smell you and charge after you. You can lead it away. Filch will follow the cat, thinking you are a student. Just keep the cat and man busy chasing you around the castle for a few minutes. I need to raid his office. _

_The things I do for you…._ Vasuki trailed off. _I suppose I can. _

_If the cat gets too close, paralyze her and slither into a crack in the wall. Don't risk your life of anything…_

_You think the great Vasuki would be caught by that pathetic cat? You wound me…_

_Thanks, I owe you one. I will only need a few minutes, I want to search for any records of my father._ Harry ended his mental conversation with his familiar, thinking about how differently things would have turned out if he hadn't bumped into a certain European Asp Viper all those years ago.

_I can see it right now, _Vasuki said with a mental snicker. _The great Gryffindor Harry Potter… best friend of Ron Weasley and grandson of the wrinkled one. _

_At least I wouldn't have to put up with your bloody annoying comments, _Harry muttered.

Harry told Draco where he was going, but he didn't explain the part about hoping to find out his parents' secrets. He probably would tell Draco at some point, but right now, for some reason, he just wanted to keep it to himself.

He cast a Disillusionment Charm upon himself and watched. Vasuki, appearing as a two-foot, green garden snake, slither about ten feet away from Filch's cat. The cat sniffed, took one look at the snake, and gave chase. A garden snake would not have been able to outrun a cat, but Vasuki changed his muscles under his green scales, allowing him to rapidly slither down the hall.

Filch heard the noise and was out of his room quickly. With a yell, he followed his cat wildly. Harry quickly stepped into the man's office and went straight to a filing cabinet next to the wall. Filch was very organised, so it didn't take Harry long to locate the years of his parents. James Potter. Harry grabbed all of the papers inside of that folder and filled the folder with blank paper. He didn't think anyone would check his father's file anytime soon…

He was carrying a rather large load of papers in his hand. Apparently his father had been a menace. Harry began to leaf through the papers, but Vasuki hissed a warning.

_I have lost them, but they are on their way back. Leave now!_

_Okay._ Harry ran out of the room and cast the same 'notice-me-not' charms on himself. He walked past the ruffled, angry Filch, and continued to the dungeons, a ream of paper clutched to his chest.

After he was back in the Slytherin dungeons, he laid the stack of papers down and, with a burning curiosity, he began to read through James Potter's years of pranks and misdeeds.

A/N: That was chapter five, please review.

No Hermione or Ron in this chapter, but they aren't out of the picture yet. Harry is the main focus, and there is no reason to switch to their perspectives in each chapter, but that doesn't mean they aren't there in the background.

Any questions, comments, concerns… I'll be happy to address them.


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